Not so fast.
A day after news broke that Deshaun Watson was filing for a trade, new Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio made it clear that he has not given up on keeping him in the fold and has struck a deadlock with the franchise QB.
“Organically, we want to reiterate our commitment to Deshaun Watson,” he said at Friday’s press conference to introduce head coach David Culley. “We have no interest in trading the player.”
While Watson’s frustration with the franchise has little to do with Caserio and Culley personally, there’s no indication that they’ll change their mind.
The 25-year-old Clemson alum had expected to have a say in the team’s new leadership after a dismal 4-12 season. That didn’t seem to be happening with the team Ceserio hires without notifying Watson.
Culley tried on his first official day with the team to sow some optimism about the impending ugliness.
“He’s a Texan from Houston,” said the 65-year-old head coach. “I want him to be a Houston Texan. The reason I’m in this position today is because I know he will become a Houston Texan. “
That positivity may be misplaced. Watson, whose four-year, $ 156 million contract runs through 2025, with a no-trade clause, has most of the power in this case and is reportedly “buried” when traded. The Texans can do little more than fine him if he refuses to show up, although the NFL Network reported that he is willing to “stay put and lose money.”
There are expected to be many teams in the trading market for Watson, who led the NFL with a career-high 4,823 passing yards and pitched for a personal best of 33 touchdowns in 2020. The Jets could put together an intriguing package led by the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they will have to compete with AFC East enemies from New England and Miami, as well as the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.