Deshaun Watson has met with his would-be new head coach. That summit does not look to have changed anything.
In the Friday meeting with David Culley, Watson informed the new Texans HC he does not plan to play for the team again, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This follows a report expressing that Watson is dug in on his desire to leave Houston.
Cal McNair and new Texans GM Nick Caserio have repeatedly insisted they are uninterested in trading Watson. But this situation is approaching the two-month mark, and suitors have emerged. More figure to surface soon, should the Texans make Watson available. The Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Panthers and 49ers have been connected to the four-year veteran passer, who is not expected to be picky regarding his destination.
The Texans hired Culley after Watson’s discontent became public, creating a tough situation for the first-time head coach. The team has since cut future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt. As of now, the Texans do not have first- or second-round picks in this year’s draft — thanks to the 2019 Laremy Tunsil trade Culley predecessor Bill O’Brien made. The uncertainty surrounding Watson may also create issues for the Texans in free agency, further making Culley’s opening months as the team’s head coach challenging.
Coming to the Texans after a stay with the Ravens, Culley only received one interview during this year’s HC carousel. He did enough to land the Houston job. It seems he will not sway Watson.
Texans should flick their middle finger at Watson. ‘Why trade you? Are you going to sit, heck no!’
J-E-T-S. Jets. Jets. Jets
And if he sits, how does that help the Texans?
Save money! This fines add up.
I know how you feel, but the Texans are the losers if they don’t trade him.
They can get a haul for him, now. I have no idea why they are dragging their feet.
Which is a perfect way to ensure a free agent never signs in Houston again.
Every team signs FA’s every offseason. Money will always be above ‘team culture’ blah blah blah nonsense.
They’ve lost this no matter what. They’ve lost him and their fan base is upset. They don’t honor Watson’s request and he sits it’ll get worse. Time to take the least worst option
Who cares about the fans? The long list of franchises w/ 3-5 consecutive years of sub 500 seasons is too long to list, but you’ll always see fans in the seats (less 2020) and team jerseys being worn.
Arty, the Texans have two options:
-trade Watson, receive a boatload of draft picks, allowing them to do a full, proper rebuild and improve the team
-continue behaving like an absolute clown organization, call Watson’s bluff out of an asinine sense of spite, ‘fine’ him (why on earth would he pay these fines), receive no compensation whatsoever for not having Watson on the team, hang your entire butt out there for any future free agent to see, continue to be terrible
The fact that you enthusiastically choose the second option shows just how pathological and irrational your hatred of players is.
Also, JJ Watt requested a release and the Texans obliged without even trying to receive any trade compensation. So it’s not like the Texans have a problem getting rid of a franchise icon.
The fines are mandatory.
A boat load of picks means what? What did the Rams do with all those picks from the Skins for RG3, did they even get 1 division title?
I’m not sure how old you are, and don’t mean that rudely, but GB put up with Brett Farve for 3 years of retire or not before finally committing to Rodgers. When you have a franchise QB deal with the drama and headaches. Especially one that is 25.
As for your love of Watt being ‘released’ fine. He wasn’t cut with a year win his contract, he was released.
Will be interesting to see if he gets dealt before Wilson
Wilson won’t get dealt.
So let me get this straight.
-He’s under contract until 2025.
-I’m assuming if he refuses to show up, the Texans will not be required to pay him (like Le’Veon Bell).
I’d love to see the Texans take a stand here and say no, we won’t trade you. Or just tell other teams…see the Stafford deal…start there and add another first. If they balk, then hang onto him. If you don’t find a taker in four years, so be it.
Is he going to sit for four years? Of course not. And if he does then good for him for taking a stand. And if he does show up but whines and plays poorly, four years of that will mean he won’t win anything and may not get another job. But he’s already a millionaire many times over, so maybe he won’t care.
And if the Texans really did promise him input on the HC decision, then he should’ve gotten it written into his contract. Sorry, but if you really want something guaranteed, isn’t that rule #1?
The difference between Bell & Watson was Bell did not sign his 1 year (franchise tag) contract. Watson can be fined for violations in his contract.
Renotribefan You’re right, the Texans probably could force him to show up if they are stubborn enough, but Watson could always pull a James Harden. Watson could reluctantly show up and just mentally checkout on them. He could just put in less effort, not really care, and imply he wants out to the media every chance he gets.
Watson could easily make himself a distraction to the team like Harden if he wants too. Rockets tried to make him stay but Harden quickly forced their hand once the games started.
Except that no one put a gun to Watson’s head when he signed a new contract with the Texans. If he was so unhappy then why did he re up with them. Time to be a man and honor your contract or pull a Barry Sanders or Megatron and just retire. Those are his only options.
Be a man lol. Does taking a stand for yourself make you less of a man? Holding your employers accountable is somehow emasculating? He has other options. He can continue to stand his ground and let the Texans product suffer. His cap hold will hamstring the team. The onfield product will suffer, and the team will suffer. If the Texans want to play hardball, no one wins. watson will eventually be out of there meanwhile the franchise will have to live with the lasting impact to their image. You think any legitimate free agent is going to sign with them? Meanwhile, teams will be chomping at the bit to sign watson. If AB can get multiple chances, watson will absolutely get one as well
Except in the NFL hell get destroyed by defenders.
No need to bring Satan into this…..
Lol
If he pulls a Harden, its easy to document and fine him. No different than how the Eagles handled TO and the Raiders w/ AB more recently.
@arty: I have no idea why you think Watson would pay fines to a team who is not paying his salary while he sits out in protest. Utterly incomprehensible.
So you never heard of a team fining a player under contract? How old are you 12?
– $50,000 per missed day of training camp
– Loss of accrued season towards free agency
– Loss of game checks (~$650K per game)
– Clawback of signing bonus (~$21 million)
Thank you.
Because it’s mandatory, per the CBA….
The Houston Texans are a business. If they keep Watson, on principle, they hurt their business.
They can get an absolute draft haul for Watson.
I see what you’re saying, but do you think getting rid of your franchise QB helps business? Not in the short term.
It WILL help business if they get that haul you mention and actually turn it into something, but that’ll take time. Meanwhile, if Watson realizes he isn’t getting traded, shows up, and ends up loving Cullen as HC, then he may change his mind. If he sulks and pulls a James Harden (good comparison from someone else), then they tank this year, trade him for that same haul in the offseason, and draft a QB next draft.
I just don’t see the benefit in giving in now.
@Reno: James Harden is a good comparison, but not in the way you think.
Harden demanded a trade but *did* show up and gave a terrible effort. Then the Rockets traded him for a huge haul and now all parties concerned are happy (Rockets, Nets, Harden).
What you’re advocating for is that the Rockets should have kept Harden and just kept running his disgruntled butt out there night after night. Thankfully for the Rockets (and hopefully for the Texans), they were smarter than that.
Yeah, like I said in my original post, if you can get a haul, then go get it. But you don’t just trade him because he says he wants it.
You’re focusing on the part where I said they should say no, and to be fair, that was the majority of my post. But you can’t just ignore the part about where I said you should trade him if you get the Stafford deal plus another 1st (or something similar).
But if they keep him and he sulks and they suck…I mean, are the Texans super bowl contenders next year? Who cares…if he does that, they just trade him next offseason and STILL get a haul.
And the Texans might just blow the draft picks, anyway…
@Renotribefan:
So you’d rather the Texans:
-spite Watson, get hamstrung by his cap hits, not have Watson in the lineup, and receive absolutely no compensation for not having Watson’s services
instead of:
-trading him, getting a million picks, getting his huge cap hit off the books, which would allow them to sign free agents and rebuild the team from the ground up.
Good grief. I swear the NFL has the dumbest, most self-righteous fans on earth.
Let me ask you a question, since you care so much about the sanctity of signing contracts: do you chatsise ownership every time they release/cut a player, thus voiding the sacred contracts that they signed? Of course you don’t.
Another question: do you chastise ownership when they make their ability to cut players and void their contracts a cornerstone of every single CBA negotiation? Of course you don’t.
Y’all are hypocrites. The NFL is the only major league sport without guaranteed contracts, and this is because of *ownership*, yet you still find ways to crap all over players when they want out. Unbelievable.
Begin snark.
Well, as a dumb, self-righteous hypocrite, I had trouble comprehending your well rationed post full of intellectually superior logic.
To answer your incredibly impressive rhetorical questions, when you sign a non-guaranteed contract, you can be cut. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily fair, but that has nothing to do with this conversation. It’s a collectively bargained thing that the nflpa agreed to.
Because of my rudimentary grammar and sentence structure (from being dumb), your superior intellect probably had no chance of reading and comprehending the part where I said they should say no OR say start with the Stafford trade and say “start there and add a 1st”. Of course, if they get a haul, then make the trade. But do it only if it makes the team better…not because he’s throwing a hissy fit. My apologies for that.
But to directly answer your first point, it’s not to spite him. It’s to set a precedent that employees don’t get to dictate terms. You may not like that or agree with it, but that’s the point. I think that would benefit the Texans in the long run, even if they take a short term hit.
My apologies that my idiocy prevented you from understanding that the first time through. I only wish that someone I look up to such as you, rct, can find it in your most generous heart to forgive this dumb, self-righteous hypocrite. End snark.
I’m sorry we have come to this, with today’s payment system for elite players have changed the “GAME” and Nfl is now like NBA whereas the Gladiators are booking the show.
So much for the future of the games, guess its time for a players league.
The only way the NFL gets hurt is when viewership drops. If it turns into the NBA, they could lose viewership and that’s where they lose money in tv contracts
Trade him to the Jets so he can get use to 5-11 for the next 4 years.
That’s if the Jets exceed expectations….