HOUSTON -- He often, good naturedly, revived the digs.

You guys said I'd lost a step.

You guys didn't think I had it anymore.

You guys thought I was done.

Even after what may have been his final game with the Houston Texans, Andre Johnson said he didn't feel like that was the end for him on the only NFL franchise he's been part of.

On Monday we learned that Johnson has asked to be traded or cut, rather than accept a smaller role with the team. The Texans have given him permission to seek a trade and he said goodbye to Houston fans on Instagram. His departure will end an era and it comes from the same confidence that elicited those smiling barbs mentioned above.

During his rookie season, following an offseason practice just after he got drafted, Johnson watched the starters huddle. He watched them until a coach yelled to ask what the heck he was doing. His place, even in his first NFL practice, was with the starters. From there, in his 12 NFL seasons, Johnson became one of the best receivers in NFL history.

He is undoubtedly the best offensive player in Texans history.

Johnson's milestones were a near-weekly event. He has more 100-yard receiving games than any active player in the NFL, and ranks fourth in NFL history. He ranks ninth all-time in receptions, having passed Hines Ward and Randy Moss last season. He ranks 12th all-time in receiving yards, having passed Torry Holt last season.

He slogged through the Texans' never-ending quarterback search, rarely showing his frustration, but clearly at least a few times. For that he deserves credit. His holdout last season was not about money, but rather about his future under a new regime. It was a new regime with tremendous respect for Johnson, but not one blind to the passage of time.

Age catches up with everyone, even one so accomplished and talented as Johnson. He adjusted, but the shift was clear. Second-year receiver DeAndre Hopkins was passing him, passing him while watching the veteran for tips on how to succeed, and succeed for so long.

Johnson still believes he is a starter. The Texans are ready for a transition. That impasse led to this. A release could even serve Johnson well, allowing him to join a team with the kind of established quarterback situation he has never had in his career.

In the time I've covered him, Johnson has never been one who enjoys conducting interviews. He accepts the responsibility, and follows through professionally, if not happily. But in that final postgame news conference of 2014, there was a lightness to Johnson's demeanor.

He chuckled and laughed at various questions. He shared that a teammate had wondered if this would be his last game with the Texans, and offered that he expected to return.

"When I woke up this morning, that was the first thing that I said," Johnson said. "I said, 'I’m going to go out here and enjoy every moment that I’m out here on this field,' and that’s what I did. I didn’t worry about anything."

In that game, Johnson caught 10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.

"Every year you get older, you guys say I lose it," Johnson said. "It is what it is. It’s part of the game. But like I said, I can still play the game. I know that. Whatever is meant to happen will happen and I’ll cross that bridge when I get there."

He's approaching that bridge now and on the other side of it is a future so many players learn to accept.