Tag: david mulugheta

Texans’ divorce with QB Deshaun Watson may affect courting of C.J. Stroud

@bigsargesportz details how the Houston Texans’ handling of the Deshaun Watson divorce may have an impact on their possible courtship of Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud.

With the NFL deadline for college underclassmen to declare early for the 2023 NFL draft, one name that remains absent from the list is causing some significant concerns for a couple of teams in dire need of a quarterback in the NFL.

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud has until Monday, Jan. 16 to make himself available to be drafted or return to college for his junior year. It has been speculated that the delay is that Stroud is weighing his options regarding some of the NIL (name, image, and likeness) packages that would be very attractive for him to return to Columbus.

Stroud’s agent David Mulugheta may have some reservations about working with the Houston Texans, who is a strong candidate to draft his client with the number two overall selection in the draft.

Mulugheta also represents former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Houston believed that Watson was on course to lead the franchise to the next level and even signed their former 2017 first-round pick to a four-year, $177.5 million contract extension with $111 million in guarantees, keeping him under contract through the 2025 season.

By the end of the 2020 campaign, Watson was frustrated with the Texans’ front office and demanded a trade. The organization refused to meet his demands which caused him to threaten to sit out until his needs were met. During that time, sexual harassment allegations surfaced, and multiple women accused Watson of being a sexual deviant. He would sit out the entire 2021 season as he went through his legal issues and was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March for multiple draft picks.

As Watson’s agent, Mulugheta was front and center when dealing with the Texans during the end of his client’s tenure in Houston. With the uncertainty of the direction in which the organization was headed after firing Bill O’Brien, who served as the coach and general manager, Watson wanted out, and it was his agent’s job to meet his demands.

His constant back and forth with ownership and general manager Nick Caserio was not always pleasant, and the unwillingness to meet Watson’s trade demand left an impressionable mark on Mulugheta, who also represents some of the league’s best talent.

With the delay of Stroud’s declaration, one is left to wonder if this may be a power play by Mulugheta to extract some revenge on the Texans for their treatment of Watson before the sexual harassment allegations.

There is a strong possibility that if Stroud makes himself available, he could go number one overall if the Indianapolis Colts are willing to make a proposal to the Chicago Bears for the pick.

Colts owner Jim Irsay has made hints that he is willing to do whatever it takes to negotiate with Chicago to get the pick. If that happens, the Colts could draft Stroud, but the consensus is that they have their eyes set on former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young from Alabama, which would leave Stroud on the board for the Texans to select.

If Stroud decides to go back to college for another year, he could be hurting his draft status for the 2024 NFL draft when quarterbacks such as USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye would be considered the first two quarterbacks to come off the board. If he stays, he could also make up to $15 million for one year in NIL endorsements.

Whatever decision will be made will have to be done expeditiously as the clock is ticking towards the Jan. 16 deadline.

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Watch: Pros Week foot race declared a tie between Jags’ Andre Cisco, Cowboys’ Micah Parsons

Who do you think won this one folks? Cisco or Parsons? #Jaguars

Andre Cisco is probably one of the most interesting players on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster heading into training camp due to the ball-hawking ability he could bring to the secondary. After an impressive showing in organized team activities, Jags coach Doug Pederson has already come out to say he’s excited to see Cisco when the pads are on, as his communication skills stood out to the veteran coach.

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until later this month to see if Cisco can pick up where he left off, but in the meantime, he’s been doing his part to stay in shape. This week he attended agent David Mulgheta’s Pros Week event where several notable NFL players like Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons, Arizona linebacker Isaiah Simmons, and Atlanta cornerback Casey Hayward gathered in Austin to work out.

While working out, the players in attendance decided to have a friendly foot race. Of course, with Cisco being the competitor he is, he decided to participate — and fared quite well in the process. In fact, he may have won the seven-man race, but onlookers ended up calling it a tie as Cisco and Parsons had a neck-and-neck finish.

Regardless of who won, it’s clear that both Parsons and Cisco aren’t lacking in the straight-line speed category. Last March at his pro day, Parsons ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and did so at 6-foot-3, 246 pounds, which is quite impressive.

Cisco didn’t register a 40-yard dash time last season as he was recovering from an ACL tear that happened in 2020. But Parsons isn’t a normal athlete, and the fact Cisco was right there with him shows that he has good downhill speed, too.

 

 

Dwayne Haskins ‘mutually’ parts ways with well-known agent David Mulugheta

Just a couple of days after being released by the Washington Football Team, Dwayne Haskins is now parting ways with his former agent as well.

The whirlwind last week or so for Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins continues, this time with news coming out that he and his agent David Mulugheta have decided to ‘mutually’ part ways according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, leaving the second-year QB now looking for a new team and a new guy to help him call the shots.

The parting of ways between Haskins and Mulugheta comes as a bit of a shock, but the reasoning for the move was described by the agent as a need for a fresh start on both sides, which is something that we heard from Ron Rivera when deciding to release Haskins from the team.

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Texans QB Deshaun Watson says Ravens S Earl Thomas supports him ‘like a big brother’

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will be getting support from the opposition Sunday in the form of Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas.

The NFL is a brotherhood, and the loyalties are often times defined by representation.

When the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens square off Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at M&T Bank Stadium, quarterback Deshaun Watson will be directly going against an All-Pro safety who has supported him his career in Earl Thomas.

Both Thomas and Watson share the same agent, David Mulugheta, and it is through the coterie that Thomas has long conveyed his support in the former 2017 first-round pick from Clemson.

“I mean, Earl called me Monday,” Watson told reporters Wednesday. “He FaceTimed me Monday, and I told him I was in meetings. Like, ‘I’m preparing right now to play against you.’ But yeah, it’s a family, especially in the group of circle and my agent and the clients that he has.”

Another example of the adversarial fraternity was when Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey was with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2016-19, another Mulugheta client, who went against Watson in four games over that span.

Ultimately, the driving force is competition, regardless of which side one is playing on.

Said Watson: “We have family ties, and we’re very supportive of one another and when we play against each other, we compete. Like I played against Jalen, we compete, but at the same time, we show love and we respect each other.”

During the limited interaction Watson had with Thomas, the former Seattle Seahawks safety told the Pro Bowl quarterback that he had a message he wanted to give him.

“He said he was going to hit me up later this week,” Watson said. “It was probably about something else, but he’s definitely — it’s pretty cool to have a guy like that to support you and be like a big brother.”

Texans fans are hoping “little brother” gets the win and both sides leave Week 11 with an equitable 7-3 record apiece as Houston seeks its first ever first-round bye in franchise history.