Deshaun Watson trade request has Twitter in an uproar
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The Houston Texans have made a lot of bonehead moves in the last year, but chasing off the best quarterback they’ve ever had is at the top of the heap.
HOUSTON — Houston native Hannah Storm’s reaction to the Deshaun Watson news pretty much summed up the way most Texans fans felt when they heard our quarterback has asked for a trade.
How did Houston native @HannahStormESPN take the “Deshaun Watson has demanded a trade” news? pic.twitter.com/77hcmz0ouR — Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) January 28, 2021
Houston fans love @deshaunwatson and he has proven his love for Htown. Their frustration is directed not at him, but the organization that has failed him. And having another huge Houston star want to leave, on the heels of James Harden, is really tough. — Hannah Storm (@HannahStormESPN) January 28, 2021
Watson wants out and no one can blame him.
Some Texans teammates, literally, had no words.
Smh🤦🏽♂️ — Tytus Howard (@levelstothis_2) January 28, 2021
……… — Charles Omenihu (@charless_94) January 28, 2021
Wow — Lonnie Johnson jr. (@Lonnie30johnson) January 28, 2021
JJ Watt was quiet on Twitter Thursday, but ‘Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon asked him about the Watson trade rumors earlier this week, and about speculation that he [Watt] could be next.
PODCAST: KHOU 11 Sports’ Daniel Gotera is joined by Brian T. Smith to discuss the Culley hire and Watson situation. Tap here to listen.
“I process it by going to Hawaii for a week. I probably should have stayed there,” Watt said. “We were enjoying mai tais by the pool, and that was a good way for me to cope with it and I might just head back there.”
The Mai Tai’s in Hawaii were far more therapeutic!
🍹🍹
Thanks for having me @jimmyfallon, always a pleasure and a privilege to spend time with you my friend. https://t.co/EHKboqPmxG — JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 28, 2021
After losing the final game of the season and finishing 4-12, Watt was overheard telling Watson,“I’m sorry we wasted one of your years.”
Now fans on other teams are chomping at the bit for the chance to add Watson to their roster.
From fellow QB Baker Mayfield:
👌🏼. Some of y’all “browns” are funny https://t.co/laJXBSY2Eu — Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) January 28, 2021
Oh, and thanks for rubbing salt in our wounds, you guys.
Deandre Hopkins, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, George Springer, Gerrit Cole, and now possibly Deshaun Watson. Rough times in Houston sports. — NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) January 28, 2021
Deshaun Watson threw 95 TD in his first 50 starts.
That’s more than many other superstar QBs over their first 50 starts.
▪️ Aaron Rodgers 94
▪️ Peyton Manning 91
▪️ Tom Brady 78
▪️ Drew Brees 68 pic.twitter.com/2uSx6OXMhG — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) January 28, 2021
Can you fathom a franchise having a player as good as Deshaun Watson yet screwing it up so badly that they now may have to trade him only to go out in search of another QB as spectacular as Watson? Pure insanity! Teams search their whole existence trying to find a QB this good! — Sean Salisbury (@SeanUnfiltered) January 28, 2021
No, we can’t.
Sometimes, you gotta laugh to keep from crying.
David Culley: “We can turn this team around together Deshaun.”
Deshaun Watson: pic.twitter.com/wPRQbMWafI — #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) January 28, 2021
Put Deshaun Watson on Robinhood. That way, he can’t be traded. pic.twitter.com/gZ2MQtM8H0 — Space Lawyer (@rrossjd) January 28, 2021
Texans fans explaining their master plan over the last 12 months for Deshaun Watson and the team: pic.twitter.com/tiu8D5WZot — Dan Orlovsky’s Burner (@OrlovskyBurner) January 28, 2021
One thing that was clear: No one blames Watson for wanting out. They say this is on the front office.
The Texans officially lost D4.
In two year. They forced out a top 3 wide receiver and a top 5 franchise QB. Both generational talent. Clown show front office. #Texans #DeshaunWatson #hopkins — Josh Keyes (@Josh__Keyes) January 28, 2021
If he does get his wish to be traded, he’ll forever hold a place in the hearts of H-Town fans.
can’t be legendary on a team that settles with mediocrity, love you @deshaunwatson my fav qb of all time — dan on the moon (@viramxntez) January 28, 2021
Report: Deshaun Watson requests trade from Texans
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It appears that the relationship between the Houston Texans and their starting quarterback is too damaged to repair.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Deshaun Watson has “officially” requested a trade from the Texans.
Deshaun Watson officially has requested a trade from the Houston Texans, per league sources. He actually did it weeks ago. Their new head-coaching hire, David Culley, has not and will not alter Watson’s thinking. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 28, 2021
Schefter said that the request came several weeks ago, so it never mattered to him whom the Texans hired as their new head coach. David Culley has reportedly been named the team’s new head coach.
Watson has a full no-trade clause, so he’ll decide exactly where he goes. And it seems like he came to this decision awhile ago. According to Schefter, Watson hasn’t spoken to the new general manager, Nick Caserio, who was hired in early January, or controversial vice president of football operations Jack Easterby.
Deshaun Watson hasn’t spoken to new Texans general manager Nick Caserio nor executive Jack Easterby. Watson is moving on and waiting to see where his NFL future takes him. https://t.co/heLvCjpEXu — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 28, 2021
Season of discontent comes to a head
Watson’s discontent with the team appears to have started last offseason, when the Texans surprisingly traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. Watson was reportedly upset with the deal and that he found out about it on social media.
That didn’t stop Watson from signing a four-year, $156 million extension with the Texans in September. Watson was looking to extend the Texans’ playoff streak to three seasons, but an early 0-4 record brought any hopes of that to an end. Head coach and GM Bill O’Brien was fired and interim head coach Romeo Crennel couldn’t stop the bleeding. Despite Watson’s excellent season, the Texans finished 4-12, and somehow that disappointing record is even worse than it looks. Thanks to the Laremy Tunsil trade, the Texans’ first- and second-round draft picks belong to the Miami Dolphins.
Story continues
Things didn’t get better after the Texans’ season ended. With both the GM and head coach spots open, Watson brought the concerns of his teammates to the front office, hoping to have a say in the process. Instead, team owner Cal McNair hired Jack Caserio to be the new GM, ignoring Watson and the advice of a search firm. Public statements from McNair reportedly bothered Watson even more, and according to Schefter, he requested a trade not long after.
Deshaun Watson wants out of Houston. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Where could Watson end up?
Watson’s trade request doesn’t mean he’ll get one. The Texans could simply say, “No, we are absolutely not trading you,” and continue on as they have been. But an unhappy star is a recipe for disaster.
With so many teams in need of a smart, talented quarterback, there are multiple possible destinations. He could land with the Detroit Lions, who are moving on from Matthew Stafford. The retirement of Philip Rivers means the Indianapolis Colts need a new quarterback. The New England Patriots have a large, Tom Brady-shaped hole at quarterback that Cam Newton couldn’t fill. The Miami Dolphins seemed to put all their eggs in Tua Tagovailoa’s basket in 2020, but there are questions about his overall talent and ability to grow.
There’s one team that needs a franchise quarterback that’s also reportedly preferred by Watson: the New York Jets. Sam Darnold hasn’t turned into what the Jets hoped he’d be, and they seem to be looking to start over fresh. After ending the disastrous Adam Gase experiment, the Jets hired Robert Saleh as their new head coach, and Watson reportedly wants to work with him.
No matter where Watson wants to go, there’s no guarantee he’ll go there — or anywhere. The Texans will ultimately decide if they want to trade their star quarterback. But Watson, his talent, and his very apparent unhappiness will definitely influence their decision.
More from Yahoo Sports:
AP Source: Star QB Deshaun Watson requests trade from Texans
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HOUSTON — Star quarterback Deshaun Watson has requested a trade from the Houston Texans, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press.
The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the request and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Thursday.
Watson has a no-trade clause in his four-year, $156 million contract, so he could have some control over where he might be dealt.
A source told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that the Texans had hired David Culley as their new coach to replace Bill O’Brien, who was fired after an 0-4 start and replaced by interim head coach Romeo Crennel.
The same source who told The AP about the trade request said Watson made the ask before Culley’s hire. He has been unhappy with the direction of the team for some time and Sports Illustrated reported weeks ago that Watson was upset the team didn’t initially request to interview Kansas City offensive co-ordinator Eric Bieniemy for its coaching vacancy.
The Texans eventually interviewed Bieniemy, as well as Indianapolis defensive co-ordinator Matt Eberflus, Buffalo assistant head coach/defensive co-ordinator Leslie Frazier, Detroit coach Jim Caldwell, former Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis and Carolina offensive co-ordinator Joe Brady before landing on Culley _ the only African American among the seven head coaches hired this off-season. The only other minority candidate who was hired as a head coach this off-season was the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh, the league’s first Muslim American head coach.
Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, wasn’t just disgruntled about the way Houston went about its coaching search. He was also upset that owner Cal McNair did not take his opinion into account when hiring general manager Nick Caserio, according to reports from ESPN and the NFL Network.
The Texans, who had years of woes at quarterback before drafting Watson, don’t want to part with the talented 25-year-old who led the NFL in yards passing this season. But so far they have been unable to change his mind about his desire to leave.
They traded up to select Watson with the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft after he led Clemson to its first national title since 1981. Houston was desperate to find a franchise quarterback after starting eight players at the position in the three seasons before he was drafted.
Watson started the season as the backup to Tom Savage but took over at halftime of the opener and started the next six games before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in practice.
He was healthy for the start of the 2018 season and has started all but one game in the three seasons since, developing into one of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks. He was one of the only bright spots for the Texans this season as they finished with a 4-12 record after winning the AFC South the previous two years.
Watson finished with the best numbers of his career despite losing superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins in an off-season trade and playing without Will Fuller for the last five games when the receiver was suspended for using performance enhancers.
His 4,823 yards passing and 33 touchdown passes both set franchise records. He also set a team mark by completing 70.2 per cent of his passes. He had 10 300-yard passing games to give him 20 in his career.
Watson ranked second on the team with 444 yards rushing, the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 4,800 yards passing and 400 yards rushing in a season.
Watson has found support from many players around the league in recent weeks concerning his desire to be traded, including from one of the greatest players in franchise history.
Just after the season, former Texans receiver Andre Johnson, who was drafted in the franchise’s second year and had 13,597 yards receiving in 12 seasons in Houston, tweeted his support for Watson. Johnson criticized Jack Easterby, the team’s executive vice-president of football operations. Johnson is the only player in Houston’s Ring of Honor and worked as a special adviser to the team before stepping away from that role before this season.
Some believe that Easterby, a former chaplain for the Patriots, has gained too much power since O’Brien, who was also the team’s general manager, was fired in October.
If I'm ?deshaunwatson I will stand my ground,'' Johnson tweeted on Jan. 12. The Texans organization is known for wasting players careers. Since Jack Easterby has walk into the building nothing good has happened in/for the organization and for some reason someone can’t seem to see what’s going on. Pathetic!!!’'
If the Texans can’t repair their relationship with Watson they’ll be faced with an even more massive rebuilding process.