Cornerback Kevin Johnson is entering the final year of his contract and will cost the Houston Texans $9.1 million, according to Spotrac. That isn’t that bad of a price to pay for a former 2015 first-round pick. That’s a bad deal for a defensive back who has played only 13 games in the past two seasons.
The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon is in precarious waters as the Texans would not sustain a cap hit if they cut him at any point in the offseason. However, general manager Brian Gaine says the club has not arrived at any decision with Johnson.
“We’re still rounding out some roster decisions,” Gaine told the media at the NFL combine Thursday in Indianapolis. “We haven’t finalized anything, nothing’s been conclusive in terms of some of these decisions. Some of them are football decisions, some of them are financial decisions. We haven’t arrived at that conclusion yet.”
The Texans have decisions to make with their secondary with defensive back Kareem Jackson and safety Tyrann Mathieu without contracts. Mathieu seems to be a no brainer as he was voted a team captain after signing a one-year, $7 million deal in 2018. However, Jackson is a little bit trickier given he will be 31 years old come Week 1 of his 10th professional season.
Gaine acknowledges that they haven’t yet seen the full potential of Johnson, even though it has been four seasons.
“Kevin has had some tough luck the last few years,” Gaine said. “He’s a former first-round pick, I was here when we drafted Kevin.”
In Johnson’s four seasons with the team, he has played in 35 of a possible 64 games, missing 29 games, three games shy of two full seasons. In that span, the 6-0, 182-pounder corner has produced 122 total tackles, one interception, 14 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
“We’re hopeful that he could be a part of the future but we have more decisions to make as it relates to the impact of that,” said Gaine.
Free agency begins on March 13 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.
