The Texans’ coaching decision is not expected to change Deshaun Watson’s thinking, as the quarterback is still expected to want out of Houston regardless of who the head coach is, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
The Texans are expected to request second interviews with Buffalo Bill’s defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, sources told ESPN.
Frazier has told some people privately that he thinks he has a legitimate chance of landing the Texans’ job and has tried to put together a technical staff when he does. Bieniemy had a strong staff, but some of his candidates are starting to accept other jobs.
But Watson is upset with the Texans about, among other things, the process they used to hire general manager Nick Caserio, sources told ESPN, sparking widespread speculation that Houston could trade or face the star quarterback off-season. with the real possibility that he might decide to drop his services and not report.
A source told ESPN’s Sarah Barshop last week that the Texans have had internal talks about potential trading partners and what their quarterback position would look like in the future without Watson.
Watson had implied his dissatisfaction with multiple tweets since Caserio’s hiring, although sources told ESPN those sentiments are not specifically aimed at the former New England Patriots executive. Watson found out on social media, not from the team, that the Texans had hired Caserio, sources told ESPN.
The quarterback has a no-trade clause in his five-year $ 156 million deal with the Texans, which would give Watson some control over where he’s traded because if it wasn’t the destination he wanted, he could refuse to report.
Frazier is said to have had a strong interview with the Texans and has previous experience as a head coach during his time with the Minnesota Vikings. Bieniemy is seen in many circles as a waiting head coach, although he has recently been passed by several teams.
As Houston’s quest for head coaching grows, Sunday’s match winning coordinator could be the loser in the Texans’ quest, as they would have to wait to hire him. The Texans were able to act faster with the coordinator of the losing team.
This screenplay played a key role in the Los Angeles Chargers’ hiring of Brandon Staley over Bills attack coordinator Brian Daboll last weekend. Once Staley’s Rams were eliminated from the playoffs, the Chargers didn’t want to wait for Daboll and hired Staley.
Other candidates the Texans interviewed include quarterback Josh McCown, former Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and Ravens assistant head coach David Culley. Some in the league believe that Caldwell also plays the lead role in the Texans’ job.