Joe Douglas and the Jets can relate to the situation that Nick Caserio and the Texans are currently in.
Jamal Adams made it known that he wanted out of New York last offseason. His relationship with the Jets was beyond repair, and he wanted to play for a team that would give him a lucrative contract extension and a chance to contend. Despite Adams’ assertions, Douglas maintained a hard stance of his own. He wanted to keep the All-Pro safety at One Jets Drive for a long time.
“The plan is for Jamal to be a Jet for life,” Douglas said at the time.
Five months later, Douglas traded Adams to the Seahawks in exchange for a haul that included two first-round draft picks. Keeping Adams was no longer a realistic possibility, and Douglas acted to maximize what the Jets could get in exchange for his services before he gained any sort of leverage.
Like Adams, Deshaun Watson has made it abundantly clear that he wants out of Houston. The 25-year-old formally requested a trade from the Texans weeks ago, making it known that he is intent on never suiting up for the franchise again after weeks of speculation surrounding his future. Caserio took a page out of Douglas’ playbook when addressing the trade request Friday, expressing that the Texans have absolutely no intention to move on from their disgruntled quarterback.
“We want to reiterate our commitment to Deshaun Watson,” Caserio said, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. “We have zero interest in trading the player.”
It’s understandable that Caserio doesn’t want to move on from arguably a top-five quarterback who is only at the beginning of his prime. Franchise quarterbacks do not grow on trees and Watson has already led the Texans to a pair of AFC South titles in his four seasons with the team. Houston is a much better team with Watson on the field — that is not up for debate.
With that being said, Jets fans know better than anyone not to believe a word that comes out of Caserio’s mouth when it comes to Watson’s future with the team that drafted him. As much as he would like to keep an elite quarterback on his roster, Caserio is not going to let the situation get to the point where he can no longer net the Texans the best trade package possible. He knows he needs to act before Watson gains any sort of upper hand, which makes it entirely possible that the Clemson product is shipped out of town sooner rather than later.
Caserio is going to do what is best for the Texans. If that means trading one of football’s premier talents, so be it. Moving on from a star player is never something a general manager wants to do, but it is sometimes what needs to be done. Houston’s newly minted general manager can say that he has no plans to trade Watson all he wants, but at the end of the day, his words carry little credence if the player wants out.
Just ask the fanbase that is less than a year removed from navigating a similar drama.