The NFL odds on the Houston Texans at the sportsbook could take another hit if superstar wide receiver Andre Johnson decides to holdout. The Texans are already going to be without Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Cushing for the first four games of the season and now Johnson is unhappy. The Texans are considered a contender vs. the odds at the sportsbook but that is with Johnson on the field.
Sportsbook odds list Houston at 25-1 to win the Super Bowl. If the Texans don’t have Johnson in the lineup they can forget about any Super Bowl chances. Johnson has five years remaining on a $60 million contract he signed in 2007 so it is unclear how the Texans are going to deal with the situation. Johnson wants his contract changed but it is unknown if he will sit out when training camp begins or if the Texans will work a new deal. Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards last season as sportsbook stats indicated. He was well paid for his work too and he is scheduled to make $5.8 million this season. In seven seasons with Houston, Johnson has 587 receptions for 7,948 yards and 42 touchdowns.
Johnson missed the first day of Houston’s OTAs and Houston general manager Rick Smith said that Johnson was absent because he is unhappy about his contract. Johnson wants to be paid similar money to what Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald and Miami’s Brandon Marshall are making. Sportsbook stats indicate that Marshall will be making over $10 million per season for the Dolphins and Fitzgerald’s deal is in the $10 million per season range.
Smith didn’t seem too concerned about Johnson’s absence from OTAs. “He’s got five years left on [the deal he signed in 2007]. We’re willing to sit down and talk with him and he knows that,” Smith said. The problem for Houston is that teams don’t normally rip up a contract with five years remaining on it and give a player more money. “It’s very difficult,” Smith said. “It’s something that’s not customary, but we’ve got a relationship with him and he knows we are willing to sit down and talk with him.”
Houston does not need Johnson causing problems if they expect to win vs. the NFL odds at the sportsbook. They already have to deal with Cushing being out and now they have their best player causing trouble.