The Houston Texans continue to tell any team that calls that they are not negotiating Deshaun Watson, league sources told ESPN, which means that the standoff between the team and its franchise quarterback will continue.
Watson still wants to leave Houston and no longer wants to play for the Texans, according to sources. But no matter how many calls they receive at Watson, Texans insist they won’t negotiate it, according to sources.
Other NFL teams have received this message and are now waiting to see if the attitude of the Texans will change, but sources inside and outside the organization have told ESPN that their position will not change.
While speculation continues to revolve around Watson, Texans have made radical organizational changes. Last week, they fired managing director of football Kevin Krajcovic, equipment manager Mike Parson and his team and another longtime employee, Doug West.
Parson said he has a close relationship with Watson, and these changes are not pleasing to the players.
One player commented privately to ESPN that Texans are eliminating employees who were not hired by Executive Vice President Jack Easterby and new general manager Nick Caserio, replacing them with employees who will be indebted to them for their work.
These changes are not expected to help the situation for Watson, who asked Texans to negotiate it.
Watson, who signed a $ 156 million four-year contract extension in September, is under contract until the 2025 season. He has a no-deal clause, but given the length of his contract and the possibility to book it by franchise for three years, Texans could choose not to trade it and would have control of their rights until the 2028 season.
The exchange request came after Watson was reportedly dissatisfied with the team’s process of hiring Caserio in early January.