After opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID concerns, Houston Texans newly acquired offensive tackle Marcus Cannon will be making his return to the league in 2021. Amid his comeback to the football field, Cannon’s play inside NRG Stadium will also mark his return to Texas — his home state.
“It feels great. It’s a dream come true,” Cannon said during his virtual media availability on Monday. “I grew up in Odessa (TX) and I learned what real football is. Every kid that plays in Texas wants to play in Texas while in the NFL. I got drafted to the Patriots. And I am so thankful for the years I had there. But my dream has always been to play right here in the great state of Texas.”
Outside of growing up in Odessa, Cannon spent his collegiate years at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth. The New England Patriots selected Cannon during the 2011 NFL Draft, where he spent the first nine years of his professional career playing in Massachusetts.
In March, Texans’ first-year general manager Nick Caserio brought the 32-year-old offensive lineman home from the Patriots for a fourth and sixth round pick in this year’s draft. Houston also obtained a 2021 fifth and sixth round pick in the deal with Cannon.
Cannon said he was informed about the trade to Houston from a phone call by Bill Belichick, stating it was a bittersweet moment. He became a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and received second-team All-Pro honors in 2016.
For Cannon, the best part about being traded to the Texans was the opportunity to tell his family that he was returning home to Texas.
“As you know, players find out before the news or teams puts stuff out,” he said. “It was fun trying to keep my family from posting things and telling too many people. It was mainly my mom. She texted me every day asking if the Texans had let the news out so she could tell all her family and friends. My family is just happy. It’s great.”
Cannon played in 115 games for New England, starting in 69 of them. The Patriots won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2014, 2016, and 2018 seasons.