Houston Texans players know they will have virtually no chance of contending in 2021 if Deshaun Watson is traded. That is not stopping them from supporting the star quarterback as he takes a stand against the organization.
Watson has informed the Texans he wants a trade, and there have been no indications that he will back down. According to Peter King of NBC Sports, some of Watson’s veteran teammates have encouraged him to stick to his guns.
“It’s gotten to the point where, I’m told, even some respected veterans on the teams have, in effect, told Watson, ‘Go ahead. Go. We love you. We don’t want you to get trapped here. You don’t owe us anything,'” King wrote in his column on Monday.
That is yet another sign of how bad things have gotten in Houston. Watson is just 25 and an MVP candidate. If his own teammates aren’t trying to convince him to work things out with the Texans, it likely means they are not comfortable defending the organization and/or want out as well.
King was also told Texans veterans supported Watson when the quarterback went to owner Cal McNair last month to inform him that “the situation in the locker room was dire.” Watson was upset when McNair did not include him in the process of hiring a general manager, but he also wanted the team to interview Robert Saleh for its head coaching vacancy. When that did not happen, Watson and his teammates became even more frustrated with ownership.
Players also do not trust executive vice president Jack Easterby, so they were bothered when the Texans decided to stick with him.
Texans GM Nick Caserio said last week that the team has no intention of trading Watson. That was before Watson made a significant change to his social media profiles, so the situation clearly is not improving.
