The Houston Texans have maintained that they will not trade Deshaun Watson, but their new head coach hardly sounds convinced.
NFL Media’s Jim Trotter interviewed Texans head coach David Culley for the “Huddle & Flow” podcast this week, and naturally the two discussed the Watson situation. Following the conversation, Trotter said he strongly believes Watson will be traded this offseason.
Culley did not say whether the Texans are open to trading Watson, but he described Watson as Houston’s quarterback “right now.” He also said the Texans “want guys who are all in.”
Culley when asked if Watson will be their starting QB in Week 1 of the 2021 season: "He is our starting quarterback right now. He is our starting quarterback. Things happen between now and then. We'll see what happens."
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) March 11, 2021
That message is a lot different from the one Texans owner Cal McNair and general manager Nick Caserio delivered in recent weeks. Caserio is said to be totally opposed to trading Watson, and McNair told the media he is confident the star quarterback will remain with the franchise for a long time.
Not long after Trotter gave a sneak preview of Culley’s remarks, the coach spoke with the media. It seemed like he changed his tune a bit, which raises the question of whether someone in the organization got in his ear.
David Culley on contingency plan if Deshaun Watson doesn't report: 'Right now, there is no contingency plan. He is a Houston Texan. We're committed to him, as I said before.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2021
The Texans have been so committed to working things out with Watson that they reportedly won’t even answer the phone when rival teams call about him. Though, that could merely be posturing leading up to the draft.
We know of at least one team that has reportedly gone all-in on trying to trade for Watson. If Culley’s comments are any indication, the Texans are probably just trying to up the price for Watson as much as possible.
