The Houston Texans May Have a Deshaun Watson Problem

With 4,823 passing yards (most in the NFL), 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, Deshaun Watson was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season.

His team, however, the Houston Texans, were one of the worst in the league and finished with a record of 4-12.

Having already fired former coach and general manager Bill O’Brien during the season, the Texans have plenty of work to do this offseason, and team owner Cal McNair reportedly told Watson he would have some input on hires moving forward.

But, the team hired former New England Patriots executive Nick Caserio to be their new GM this week without Watson’s blessing, a move that has reportedly drawn the ire of the 25-year-old star QB.

“Deshaun Watson is extremely unhappy with the organization after owner Cal McNair informed him he would be involved in the GM and coach hiring process and provide feedback … but then did neither in the hire of GM Nick Caserio,” Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network wrote on Twitter. “This has nothing to do with the actual hire of GM Nick Caserio. It has to do with the process.”

According to ESPN, Watson “offered input on potential general manager candidates, but the Texans neither considered nor consulted with those endorsed by their franchise quarterback.”

Watson being ignored this offseason comes on the heels of the Texans, while O’Brien was in charge, dealing away star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for pennies on the dollar last year.

Still without a coach, the Texans now have to deal with a disillusioned franchise quarterback who signed a massive contract extension in September and now may want to be traded (which would lead the team to absorb a salary-cap charge of $22 million).

But, should Watson ask for a trade, his request will be denied, according to John McClain of The Houston Chronicle. “Under no circumstances will the Texans trade Watson,” McClain writes. “He’s not going anywhere.”

That makes sense as Watson is clearly the team’s best player and the only true building block the organization, which does not own a first- or second-round pick in this year’s draft, has at this time.

Watson is also under contract until 2025 and, unless he holds out or makes his beefs public, he has little leverage to force the team’s hand in a trade.

That being said, if Watson really does want out and behaves accordingly, the Texans could get a haul of much-needed draft picks for him and start fresh with Caserio and whomever he hires as head coach guiding the team into 2021 and beyond.