After pissing off his superstar quarterback, Texas owner Cal McNair promised to do things differently while deciding who will be the team’s next coach. In other words, he will do what he told Deshaun Watson he would do before hiring a general manager: involve him.
“We want him to be part of that process,” McNair said on Friday, according to John McClain of The Houston Chronicle.
Failing to do this before GM’s signing Nick Caserio last week alienated QB, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, and left McNair unable to contact his best player.
McNair said he and Watson exchanged text messages again, but did not reveal what they discussed.
“Deshaun and I have connected by message since he came back from vacation,” said McNair. “It is no secret that he is disappointed with (lack of) communication during the hiring process.”
Watson initially used Twitter to express his frustration, writing “some things never change” shortly after the news from Caserio. Although the post was later deleted, commercial speculation surrounding an “extremely unhappy” Watson caught fire.
There is no indication that Houston is really thinking that, and McNair’s latest comments don’t suggest that either.
“I have watched Deshaun since he played for Clemson,” he said. “I believe he can win championships here. We believe him. He is a great person and a Texan. He is our quarterback.”
Just four months ago, the 25-year-old agreed on a lucrative four-year extension. Since then, Bill O’Brien has been sacked as coach and general manager, while the EVP’s influence on football operations Jack Easterby within the organization has expanded.
Tensions appear to have reached a critical point last week, with the great Texan Andre Johnson calling Easterby by name and McNair indirectly on social media, while expressing his support for Watson. McNair defended his chief executive on Friday, noting that he does not plan to fire Easterby and is unaware of his possible resignation.
“Jack’s scrutiny is really unjustified,” said McNair. “Jack was put in that role that the organization needed. If mistakes were made during that process, we will own them in our building. Jack (will return) to the role he was brought here to and the one he grew up in after going there.”
This would be the executive vice president of development for the team. By McNair, Caserio tops the search for a new coach. He added that the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, someone Watson allegedly defended, was not originally a candidate because McNair was waiting on Caserio’s list.
The Texans have already asked to interview Bieniemy, but as the Chiefs are no longer saying goodbye, league rules restrict Houston from speaking to the coveted coordinator until the end of the Kansas City season. This, of course, can take weeks.
In the meantime, it seems that Texans still have work to do with Watson, who delivered another cryptic message on Friday afternoon on Twitter after recently being inactive.