Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson intends to skip the team’s mandatory minicamp this week.
Johnson has three years and $31.5 million in base salary left on his contract but does not want to be part of another rebuilding project. The Texans are coming off a 2-14 season.
If Johnson does not show up for the minicamp, the team can fine him almost $70,000 and he may also have to forfeit a $1 million workout bonus.
Johnson, who turns 33 next month, is coming off a season in which he made 109 catches for 1,407 yards with five touchdowns in 16 games.
—San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis explained the rationale behind his absence from the team’s voluntary offseason workouts in a guest column he penned in Sports Illustrated’s MMQB.
It is not clear if Davis will show up for the start of the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp, which begins on Tuesday. If Davis is not present, he is considered a holdout and the team can fine him.
“In 2010 I signed a five-year, $37 million contract extension with $23 million guaranteed. It was the biggest contract for a tight end in league history,” Davis wrote. “Four years later, and I’m playing at a higher level than I was then, which brings me to why I’m holding out. It’s all about getting paid what you deserve. It’s not that complicated. I want the 49ers to win the Super Bowl, and I want to be on the field this summer working towards that goal, but I have to worry about my future first.”
—First-round pick Zack Martin agreed to a four-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, who selected the projected starting right guard with Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel on the board.
Martin receives a four-year, $8.7 million contract with a $4.8 million signing bonus. A fifth-year team option is customary for all first-round picks.
—The New York Giants signed defensive tackle Jay Bromley and linebacker Terrell Manning.
The Giants selected Bromley in the third round of this year’s draft. The 6-foot-4, 307-pounder was taken No. 74 overall out of Syracuse.
Manning has played six games with the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers in two NFL seasons. He played five games with the Packers in 2012 and one with the Chargers last season.
—The Seattle Seahawks signed free agent defensive tackle Kevin Williams and undrafted running back Demitrius Bronson and released quarterback Keith Price and defensive end Kenneth Boatright.
Williams, who played the last 11 years with the Minnesota Vikings and has been voted to six Pro Bowls, agreed to terms last week but did not sign his deal until Monday.
–The New England Patriots released first-year tight end Kyle Auffray.
Auffray, 27, was signed by the Patriots on June 9. He originally was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie free agent on May 13, 2013, out of New Hampshire but was released by the team on July 23, 2013.
—Former NFL tight end Dallas Clark will officially retire as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Clark is returning to Indianapolis for a press conference on Wednesday at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Clark spent nine of 11 seasons with the Colts along with a stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.