The Facts: The Texans gave Johnson permission to seek a trade. Johnson rejected it, asking to be released instead. The Texans haven't. And they apparently won't, at least not for now. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Texans won't cut Johnson until they're sure no trade will be made.

Diehards Line:As PFT's Mike Florio suggested, it's a high-stakes game of chicken. From Johnson's perspective, no one will trade for a contract that will pay the player $11.5 million this year -- so why shouldn't the Texans just cut him? From the team's perspective, maybe a franchise that hopes to acquire Johnson at a reduced rate will give something up to get the deal done sooner than later -- so why should the Texans let him go? While it's easy to believe the Texans "owe" Johnson the right to pursue his career as he sees fit, the team is well within its rights not to do the "right thing." Either way, from a fantasy football perspective, the bottom line remains unchanged: Johnson's days in Houston are over.