Now that quarterback Deshaun Watson has completed his third professional season, he is eligible to work out a contract extension with the Houston Texans.
However, just because the two-time Pro Bowl field general has met that threshold of eligibility doesn’t mean a contract extension will be worked out in the 2020 offseason.
According to Michael Colangelo of the Touchdown Wire, there are five reasons why the 2020 offseason will be crazy in the NFL. One of them is related to the fact it is the final year of the collective bargaining agreement.
This is the final year in the collective bargaining agreement so things get a bit wonky — like having the ability to use two tags.
The other thing to consider with the CBA is that no one knows what the next deal will look like. Players may think they’ll get more of the revenue pie, and in that case signing a long term deal won’t be great if more money comes to the market in the next CBA. Teams may also want to have shorter deals since there is uncertainty in the market.
Watson and his representation, David Mulugheta of Athletes First, still have another offseason to get something worked out, 2021, and the Texans would more than likely exercise their fifth-year option to make it 2022. The new CBA will be in place by then, and Watson could get a larger contract compared to one signed prior to the expiration of the current CBA.
The Texans’ brass is well aware they can start to negotiate with Watson and his team.
“I can tell you publicly, though, that we obviously want the Deshaun Watson here for a long, long time,” coach Bill O’Brien said on Jan. 13. “We want him to be a Houston Texan for his career. He is a great person, he’s a great football player and he means a lot to this organization, to this city, to this league.”
The Texans want Watson around for a long time, but the collective bargaining agreement may get in the way of finalizing that commitment between Houston and Watson.