TAMPA, Florida – The Houston Texans are sending the same message to teams interested in Deshaun Watson who have publicly delivered:
They have no interest in negotiating with their disgruntled star defender.
Other teams remain skeptical about the Texans’ ability to stay on course and eventually change the mind of Watson, who requested an exchange last month and has yet to communicate with new general manager Nick Caserio or coach David Culley, even after Culley advised his hiring.
But some executives from other teams didn’t even have their calls and text messages about Watson returned by the Texans. Other executives who spoke to Houston say Caserio has been very firm. Watson is unavailable, which leads them to believe that Texans are focused on trying to repair the relationship first.
As someone with knowledge of the Texans thought: “The goal is to get it back, period.”
The Texans have been revamping the organization since they sacked head coach and GM Bill O’Brien on October 5, after a 0-4 start last season – a process that has accelerated since the renowned Caserio was hired a month ago. They conducted a diverse search for their new coach before the surprise hiring of Culley, 65, the only black man to get a job as a head coach in this cycle, and worked to put proven assistants around him, including defensive coordinator Lovie Smith and the defensive coach Pep Hamilton. Sources say it was all done with the aim of building around Watson and what it will take to make him and the team successful.
But Watson, 25, remains irritated by what he considered a lack of participation in GM’s search, among other issues, and expressed his feelings without saying much publicly.
Watson signed a $ 156 million contract extension for four years in September that puts him under contract until 2025 and includes a no-trade clause, allowing him to decide where he would be willing to trade. Its biggest advantage is that it doesn’t show up and allows public uproar over its unhappiness to hover like a cloud over the new Texans regime.
But Texans can expect it if they want to. Watson would be subject to daily fines if he did not attend the mini-field or training camp. Texans can also void Watson’s remaining $ 82.54 million in guarantees, and if he retires instead of playing for them again, they can get $ 21.6 million from his $ 27 million signing bonus.
There are some potential pressure points ahead, including the start of the free agency on March 17 and the NFL Draft from April 29 to May 1, when other teams will need answers at Watson before filling their holes in the QB of other ways. Given the award that Lions got for Matthew Stafford, 33, executives from other teams believe that Texans could get at least three Watson choices in the first round, and the price could be even higher than that.
For now, there are no commercial negotiations. Watson is not moving and neither are the Texans.