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Texans are not waiting to see if quarterback Deshaun Watson asks for a trade. They are preemptively announcing that Watson will not be traded.
“Under no circumstances will Texans negotiate Watson,” writes John McClain of Houston Chronicle, adding that even if Watson asks for an exchange, “he’s not going anywhere”.
It’s an extreme position for the team to take, leaving the franchise with little room for maneuver when it comes to dealing with the franchise’s quarterback. This can also lead Watson to consider the team’s obviously leaked position as a challenge, making him more likely to prove that he can and will get what he wants.
McClain says Texans are not “foolish enough” to negotiate Watson. But what is more foolish? Exchange it for a potential mega-acquisition of draft choices from the highest bidder or outright refuse to exchange a player who makes it clear that he wants to leave – and who may be willing to engage in a battle of wills that includes, for example , boycott all voluntary training out of season and, generally, not behaving like the players who arrive early, stay late, arrest the responsible teammates, quasi-members of the administration that the starting defenders need to be?
If Watson hangs up and does the bare minimum until he gets what he wants, that’s not good for anyone. Eventually, this will force Texans to do what they say they will not do.
Two years ago, Antonio Brown ended up tweeting his departure from Pittsburgh. Last year, Stefon Diggs made it happen in Minnesota with just one post on Twitter. If Watson, who has shown a willingness to speak his mind, eventually does so with a public request for a change of location, how can Texans say that “under no circumstances” will he get what he wants?
So, why say that? Possibly the Texans it is foolish enough to think it will work. Most likely, Texans are trying to ensure that if they negotiate Watson, they are not simply giving it away.
But the problem is this: if they disclose that Watson is available, Texans can just sit back and wait for offers to pile up, because that will happen. The advantage that comes from the “we’re keeping it” posture (for example, Vikings saying they “have no intention” of negotiating Percy Harvin) will not be necessary.
Until he knows what Watson wants, it is strange that the Texans would be drawing a line in the sand. Which simply makes the most recent weird thing that Texans did.