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Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans are on very different pages, it appears.
Watson officially has requested a trade from the Texans and hasn't spoken to new general manager Nick Caserio or his boss, Jack Easterby, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday.
That lack of communication was on full display Friday, when Caserio began his Texans press conference with the following statement:
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"Organizationally, want to reiterate our commitment to Deshaun Watson. ... We look forward to the opportunity to spend more time with him here this spring when we get started.
"We have zero interest in trading the player."
New Texans head coach David Culley then followed up with this:
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"The reason I'm in this position today is because I know (Watson is) going to be a Houston Texan."
It's understandable why Caserio and Culley would want to keep Watson around. The 25-year-old is one of the best quarterbacks in football and just led the NFL in passing yards despite a mediocre supporting cast.
It's also understandable why Watson wants out. Houston reportedly didn't consult him before hiring Caserio, who wasn't on the team's list of potential candidates but has ties to Easterby dating to time together with the New England Patriots. The Texans also traded away Watson's No. 1 target, DeAndre Hopkins, prior to last season and have failed to build a playoff contender around their superstar QB.
So, should we take Caserio and Culley at their word, or is a Watson trade still on the table? Well, do you recall the last time a Houston team claimed it had no interest in trading its star player?
Watson may not land with the Patriots, but we certainly wouldn't bet against him beginning the 2021 season outside Houston.
