Wide receiver Andre Johnson’s prolific 12-year run with the Houston Texans is over.

Johnson will be released before the start of the 2015 NFL league year Tuesday in a cost-cutting move.

Johnson, who will be 34 in July, was asked by the Texans to take a reduced role. While a pay cut was never discussed, that would have been the obvious next step in the conversation. Johnson balked, deciding to leave behind the only team he’s ever played for.

The Texans will enter free agency in need of another wideout to complement rising star DeAndre Hopkins. The team is also looking for a proven slot receiver after receiving disappointing production at the position in 2014.

San Francisco’s Michael Crabtree, Baltimore’s Torrey Smith and Jacksonville’s Cecil Shorts are top free-agent options with Randall Cobb re-upping with the Green Bay Packers.

The draft is loaded at receiver for the second consecutive year and the Texans hold the No. 16 overall pick. Louisville’s DeVante Parker, Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong and Missouri’s Dorial Green-Beckham should be available, with premier talent remaining in the second and third rounds.

Johnson has drawn the most attention in recent days, but the Texans have several more pressing issues.

Second-year coach Bill O’Brien doesn’t know who his starting quarterback will be in 2015. Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, the team’s primary starter in 2014, is still on the roster and under contract for one more year at an affordable $3.2 million salary. But Fitzpatrick, 32, could be cut or traded after the Texans re-signed unrestricted free agent Ryan Mallett. Houston also pursued Brian Hoyer, who was weighing a three-year offer from the Texans while discussing a similar deal with the New York Jets.

The Texans retain the core of a 2014 team that surprised by going 9-7 in O’Brien’s first year.