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With Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil locked up for the Houston Texans, there is one more big contract for the AFC South champions to address.
When will the Texans finalize a contract extension with quarterback Deshaun Watson?
According to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, it won’t be as swift as some would like.
“Look, I think any time we can try to get something done with Deshaun would be great, but again, these things take time,” O’Brien told reporters after day two of the 2020 NFL Draft Friday. “I don’t want to get into all the details of it. I know there’s a lot out there about where we are.”
Watson, who has earned two Pro Bowl selections since the Texans drafted him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, has a great relationship with the Texans, as does Watson’s representation led by agent David Mulugheta.
“We have a great relationship with Deshaun, we have a great relationship with his agent,” said O’Brien. “Very good open lines of communication. Really haven’t gotten into the details of anything right now, but obviously we want Deshaun Watson to be the quarterback here for a long time, so we’ll see how it all plays out.”
The former Clemson Tiger could be in for quite the payday when it comes time for the Texans to extend Watson. The Dallas Cowboys have their two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Dak Prescott, on a franchise tag. Prescott is asking for $40 million. Whether or not that is valid is immaterial; Kansas City Chiefs quarteback Patrick Mahomes is worth that much, and the Super Bowl MVP is also due a contract extension. Both contracts will help set the market for what the Texans have to pay to keep Watson.
In the meantime, O’Brien and the Texans are working to find quality talent in the NFL draft. Watson’s extension will have to wait.