Deshaun Watson has not softened his stance on wanting a trade from the Houston Texans, and the star quarterback is reportedly willing to go to great lengths to get his way.
During Friday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Jeremy Fowler reported that Watson is willing to hold out all the way into the 2021 regular season if need be.
.@JFowlerESPN says Deshaun Watson is willing to sit out pre-season and some regular season games if he isn't traded. pic.twitter.com/M6vM2thxq6
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 26, 2021
“I’m told there’s a very real possibility that he could not show up for the preseason and not show up for the regular season if he’s not traded,” Fowler said. “He could incur $3 million-plus in fines during that process, but he does not care. I’m told the relationship is simply too far gone right now.”
Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, but the list of teams to which the quarterback would approve a trade is apparently quite lengthy. As Fowler described it, Watson has an “anything but Houston plan” at the moment.
While there is still a long way to go before mandatory offseason workouts, this is not the first we have heard of Watson’s willingness to hold out. One AFC executive said last month that the situation in Houston has gotten so ugly that Watson may need to just skip the 2021 season, though we doubt it will get to that point.
The Texans and Watson are in a full-blown stalemate at the moment. Watson met with new Houston head coach David Culley last week, and he reiterated that he has no intention of ever playing for the team again. Despite that, the Texans have committed (for the time being) to completely ignoring teams that inquire about Watson.
