Texans decide to cut Thomas as receiver recovers from injury
Veteran wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was released Tuesday by the Texans with a failed physical designation to end his brief tenure with the AFC South champions.
The five-time Pro Bowl selection was acquired in a midseason trade from the Denver Broncos after wide receiver Will Fuller tore his ACL. The Texans gave up a fourth-round draft choice and the teams exchanged seventh-round selections.
Thomas ruptured his Achilles tendon in December and was placed on injured reserve. Thomas was due a $14 million, nonguaranteed base salary for 2019. Now that his salary is off of the Texans' books, they are a projected $77 million under the NFL salary-cap limit.
Thomas, 31, doesn't intend to retire and hopes he can recover from the injury in roughly six months, as he did when he previously tore his Achilles tendon. He has been rehabilitating his injury in Houston, training at The Post Oak Hotel.
"Each morning brings with it renewed strength and vigor to face the day and its challenges," Thomas wrote on his verified Instagram account Tuesday morning after being informed of his pending release. "Whatever happens today, believe that you're able to overcome them."
The Texans are moving forward with DeAndre Hopkins, Fuller and Keke Coutee as their primary wide receivers.
Following the trade, Thomas caught 23 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns and provided strong leadership in the locker room.
Texans coach Bill O'Brien acknowledged Thomas' contributions, but emphasized it's a fluid situation when asked if the team could revisit Thomas’ status once he’s recovered.
“I had a long talk with Demaryius the other day," O'Brien said. "He’s a great guy. We’ll see how the rehab goes. That’s a tough injury. He knows that.
"That’s not easy to come back from, but he’s going to work hard. He wants to play again. He made that statement to me, and we’ll see how it goes moving forward.”
Steelers’ Brown requests trade: The Pittsburgh Steelers still haven't decided whether there's a path for wayward wide receiver Antonio Brown to return in 2019.
Not that it matters to Brown. He's already made up his mind.
A person with knowledge of the situation tells the Associated Press the perennial Pro Bowler has formally asked the Steelers for a trade, the latest move in a game of brinksmanship by the 30-year-old designed to force Pittsburgh to move him by the start of training camp this summer.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to publicly discuss personnel matters.
Brown appeared to make his decision official in a social media post released on Instagram on Tuesday. The video includes highlights from Brown's career with the Steelers while lyrics from “Do What I Want” by rapper Lil Uzi Vert plays in the background.
“SteelerNation thank you for nine big years!!!” Brown wrote. “Time to move on and move forward.”
The post came shortly after Brown was found guilty in absence on a charge of reckless driving in a suburban Pittsburgh court on Tuesday morning. Brown was charged in November for driving his black sports car over 100 mph in a 45 mph zone. He paid a $426.77 fine. Brown did not attend Tuesday's hearing.
Brown still has three years remaining on the $72 million contract he signed in the spring of 2017, and remains one of the most dynamic performers in the league. He is the only player in NFL history with six consecutive 100-catch seasons. He hauled in 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a franchise-record 15 touchdowns in 2018.
A dispute over an apparent leg injury led the Steelers to make Brown inactive for the season finale.
Brown did not show up to clean out his locker or conduct an exit interview with the coaching staff. He pulled out of the Pro Bowl with an injury and team president Art Rooney II indicated the team had been unable to make contact with Brown in the weeks after Pittsburgh finished 9-6-1 and failed to reach the playoffs.
Draft prospect tears ACL: Mississippi State defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons tore the ACL in his left knee while working out in Florida last weekend.
Simmons was a potential firstround pick in April's NFL draft.