The Houston Texans have said publicly that they have no intention of trading Deshaun Watson, and they are reportedly telling interested teams the same.
Some teams that have called the Texans to ask about acquiring Watson have been told the star quarterback is not going anywhere. Others have not even had their calls and text messages returned, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
One person who is familiar with the Texans’ thinking told NFL Network that “the goal is to get him back, period.”
It remains to be seen if and for how long the Texans can continue down this path. Watson has made it clear that he wants to be traded. While the team can fine him more than $2 million in total if he skips offseason activities and preseason games, the 25-year-old could also threaten to retire.
Houston executives are likely still optimistic that they can smooth things over with Watson, but there has been no indication that Watson is open to that.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Texans have made “sweeping organizational changes” recently, including firing equipment manager Mike Parson and his staff. Watson and Parson are close, so that was yet another move that irritated Watson.
Watson has yet to publicly state that he wants a trade, but a recent change he made to his social media profiles removed all doubt.
If the Texans do decide to trade Watson, they will reportedly be looking for a massive haul in return.
