On September 5, 2020, Deshaun Watson signed a four-year contract extension with the Texans that gave the quarterback $156 million in new money with $73.716 million fully guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap.com. The resulting press conference, which included Watson, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, Watson’s college coach Dabo Swinney, and Ethan Hughes, who met Watson through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, was quite interesting, and very emotional.
I think it’s all about – like we always talk about – the type of people that we want on this team and in this organization,” then-head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien said. “Deshaun Watson is a shining example of that. He’s just a tremendously hardworking young man, a very bright guy. He’s a winner and he’s a winner at the most important position in football. So I just think it’s a reflection to the team of what we’re trying to do here and the commitment that both sides have, the commitment that he has to winning here and being who he is both on and off the field and the commitment that we have to him relative to our belief in him since the day I met him at the combine years ago. Tremendous belief in him as a quarterback and as a person, and just really looking forward to starting the season.”
Well, a full season later, things are very different. O’Brien is long-gone after gutting the roster in a series of god-awful trades. And the subsequent GM search, which ended with the hire of longtime Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, may have sent Watson — who was already unhappy about the trade of receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans’ lack of commitment to social justice issues — over the bend.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, had the Texans followed the recommendation of search firm Korn Ferry, the hire would have been Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan. The second recommendation was ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. Both Khan and Riddick were candidates of color, and the team ignored the recommendations in favor of Caserio.
Not that Caserio isn’t qualified for the job, but what it’s done to Watson’s mindset, per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, is not good. The Texans’ refusal to even interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy (another candidate of color) was another nail in the coffin.
Reports about Deshaun Watson's unhappiness with @HoustonTexans are accurate and sources close to the QB say he is still angry about team's insensitivity to social justice, including hiring practices, after the franchise failed to interview Chiefs OC Eric Bienemy this past week.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 10, 2021
Let the denials begin but it will be an off-season story, a puzzle of sorts, that promises some drama
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 10, 2021
The Dolphins idea is certainly interesting. The Jets and Jaguars also present fascinating scenarios as teams with the combination of high draft picks and salary cap space to not only make a trade possible, but to absorb Watson’s contract over time.
In 2020, despite that aforementioned depleted roster, Watson completed 70.2% of his passes for a league-leading 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. Not the kind of guy you want to alienate, but here we may be.