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Why Miami Dolphins didn’t show interest in Andre Johnson

By Kevin Parvizi

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After Andre Johnson expressed his lack of interest in playing second fiddle to rising third-year talent DeAndre Hopkins, the Houston Texans granted his wish to be released from the team. He was promptly signed to a three-year, $21 million by the stacked Indianapolis Colts, who also added veteran back Frank Gore this offseason in their quest to get over the hump that is the New England Patriots and into the Super Bowl.

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Interestingly enough, Johnson told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he’s always dreamed of playing for the Miami Dolphins as a former Hurricanes star, but the ‘Fins “never called” the future Hall of Famer with interest.

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Johnson told Jackson that he isn’t “angry” about the Dolphins lack of interest in him, and it’s a good thing he understands “the business side” here, because there are pretty clear reasons for why the Dolphins didn’t show interest in Johnson.

Sure, he’s still one of the league’s better wide receiver and is a high-end No. 2 guy who could have been an excellent possession receiver in the intermediate and red zone target for rising QB Ryan Tannehill.

However, the Dolphins wide receiver overhaul included the addition of just one veteran wideout in Greg Jennings, who is two years younger than Johnson and, as Jackson notes in the piece above, $5 million cheaper against the cap in 2015 (since he’s on a two-year deal, he’s $7 million cheaper- $3.5 million per season- over the next two seasons if you assume that neither player will get cut before the end of the 2016 season).

The Dolphins spent plenty of money in the offseason thanks to their decision to sign superstar DT Ndamukong Suh, so $5 million in savings is pretty huge for a team that had to be more careful than ever with the way they spent their money. A couple of days after Johnson signed with the Colts, the Dolphins acquired Kenny Stills from the New Orleans Saints for a pick and Dannell Ellerbe, which also saved them a nice chunk of cash (Stills is significantly cheaper than the free-agent bust).

While the Dolphins made every effort to upgrade Tannehill’s pass-catchers by replacing Mike Wallace with Stills, Charles Clay with Jordan Cameron, Brian Hartline with DeVante Parker, and Brandon Gibson with Jennings, there are two other common threads here. As a whole, the Dolphins added younger and more athletic pass-catchers, and they also got more bang for their buck at the position when it comes to cap space used.

Johnson has $7.5 million cap hits over the next two seasons, and he carries dead cap charges of $10 million and $2.5 million in 2015 and 2016. Although the Colts aren’t on the hook for any guaranteed money on Johnson’s deal in 2017, they’ll have to pay him at least $10 million in guaranteed money or $15 million for two seasons of work.

Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; DeVante Parker (Louisville) poses for a photo after being selected as the number 14th overall pick to the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Andre Johnson would have loved the idea of playing in Miami, it’s not like the Dolphins would have been afforded a discount. I mean, Johnson may have “dreamed” of playing for the Dolphins, but the Colts are the better situation for him from a football sense. He gets to play for an explosive offense with a possible top-five QB in Andrew Luck, and the Colts have a better shot at making a deep playoff run.

It’s clear that Johnson is still an effective receiver in this league, and he had 85 receptions last season to prove it. However, the ‘Fins weren’t looking to pay $21 million over three seasons with $10 million in guarantees for the first two seasons for a 34-year-old receiver who doesn’t offer as much youth or explosiveness as Parker or Stills. The Dolphins already had the reliable Jarvis Landry, so they wisely chose to spend just $8 million over two seasons on Jennings as a form of veteran stability at the position.

Basically, the Miami Dolphins wanted to surround Tannehill with a nucleus of young, cheap receivers, as opposed to signing a somewhat expensive, aging player as their centerpiece. Johnson is obviously a better receiver than Jennings and will be better next season than Parker, but the Dolphins were thinking about the future from both a football and business perspective.

Next: Is Jordan Cameron better than Charles Clay?

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