A ‘Humbled’ Deshaun Watson Has Urged Disgruntled Texans Fans to Stay Home
The relationship between the Houston Texans and quarterback Deshaun Watson is at an all-time low. After a disappointing season, rumors have abounded that the 25-year-old wants out of Houston. Fans of the team are determined to convince the disgruntled quarterback to stay — at any cost.
Watson “takes it to a 10”
To call the Houston Texans organization a dumpster fire would be an insult to dumpster fires.
The 2020 season was bad enough on the field. They fired controversial head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, and finished the season a disappointing 4-12. This result was the price the team’s front office paid for numerous questionable personnel choices. These include the team’s decision to trade Watson’s favorite passing target, DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals for spare change.
During the offseason, the team’s situation has unraveled further with the hiring of former New England Patriots executive Nick Caserio as their next general manager. According to ESPN, Watson only found out about the hiring through social media. He also offered team chairman Cal McNair direct input on potential general manager candidates, input which was apparently ignored.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, there is a “growing consensus” within the NFL that Watson will demand a trade out of Houston. While he is still under contract with the Texans for five more seasons, he does have a “no-trade clause”, which allows him some control over his trade destination.
Texans fans pledge their support in reckless fashion
Earlier this morning, an estimated 200 to 300 fans marched to NRG Stadium to protest their dissatisfaction with the team’s management. James Carlson, a Texans fan and podcaster, organized the event.
“This is to repair the relationship with the Texans organization and Deshaun and to show Cal McNair that Texans fans will not tolerate ineptitude with the organization moving forward,” Carlson told the Houston Chronicle. “We want a winning culture.”
The rally began at Lefty’s, a restaurant in Houston owned by Watson himself. Upon hearing news of the march, Watson took to Twitter and issued the following statement.
Doomsday for the Texans?
Thanks to the moves made by the team’s inner circle, the Texans’ prospects looked bleak even with Watson. Now that they may not have Watson, the future may look utterly hopeless.
There is little the Texans can do to stem the bleeding. Due to front-office bungling, the team will not have a selection in April’s NFL Draft until the 67th pick. This stems from the 2019 decision to trade their first two draft picks of 2021 to Miami in exchange for offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil.
As of Monday, the Texans are one of only two teams who have yet to fill their coaching vacancies. Watson has repeatedly pushed for the Texans to consider Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. However, this seems unlikely, given that Bieniemy’s team is still competing for a Super Bowl, which would give him little time to conduct interviews.
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