The Houston Texans are having a brutal offseason.
Trade rumors and speculation surrounding franchise quarterback have not subsided, including reports about Watson's unhappiness with the franchise.
Sports Illustrated published Saturday a lengthy story on the situation in Houston written by Greg Bishop and Jenny Vrentas.
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Perry's Patriots Mailbag: Rookie QB could expedite rebuild
It doesn't sound like Watson is looking to play with the Texans much longer. Here's one of the many interesting nuggets from SI's report involving one of former Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson's recent tweets.
"On Tuesday, Johnson, the lone member of the franchise’s Ring of Honor, posted on Twitter that Watson should stand his ground, writing that “nothing good has happened” since Easterby’s hire. When Watson saw the tweet, the first for a person of Johnson’s significance to name Easterby directly, he laughed. Asked why he might find a tweet that heavy in sentiment funny, one of the people close to Watson says, 'He just wants out.' Then Watson watched the Houston Rockets play Tuesday night—when he posed for a photo with Johnson, which Johnson posted to his Instagram page, reiterating the “stand your ground” message from hours earlier. Only this time, Watson was in the frame."
This cryptic tweet posted by Watson on Friday also raised some eyebrows:
Watson was selected by the Texans with the No. 12 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He's developed into one of the league's top 10 quarterbacks, and 2020 was the best season of his career. Watson set career highs with a 70.2 completion percentage, 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in 16 games. He also had a career-low seven interceptions.
Unfortunately for Watson, the Texans struggled with a 4-12 record. The future outlook for Houston also isn't too promising, especially when you look at the team's draft situation. The Texans don't own their 2021 first-round pick (No. 3 overall) because they traded it to the Miami Dolphins as part of the Laremy Tunsil trade in 2019.
New England Patriots
There are many teams in need of a serious upgrade at quarterback, including the New England Patriots. These teams must decide whether to give up serious trade assets to make a move for Watson, or invest draft capital in a young quarterback. The 2021 draft class could have as many as five quarterbacks selected in the first round.
Either way, it appears the Texans have plenty of work to do to repair their relationship with Watson.