The Houston Texans have remained quite active this offseason, making numerous notable moves to the roster. It has brought forth plenty of questions concerning the long-term future of the franchise. One of which centers on star quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s contract situation as he’s on pace to earn a potentially record-breaking deal on his next extension.l It’s believed to be an imminent situation between both sides that not even Texans head coach Bill O’Brien could screw up.

Deshaun Watson optimistic about extension with Texans

Through his first three seasons, Deshaun Watson has proven to be the real deal as he has helped make the Texans a constant in the playoffs. That has been anchored by back-to-back postseason appearances behind AFC South titles, which the latest saw them reach the divisional round.

All that has put Watson in a promising spot to receive a lucrative extension as he heads into the fourth year of his rookie deal. The 24-year-old has voiced confidence that a new contract will get worked out with the Texans. (H/T 247 Sports)

“That’s definitely something that is not under the rug. My main focus is just being the best teammate, best leader, best quarterback I can be and whenever that time comes with my agent and the organization, the timing is going to be right. For me right now, the focus is on being the best teammate, getting the new guys on the same page with me as the quarterback of this offense and making sure I’m staying healthy and ready to go whenever they call me, call us in to go play.”

Watson has become the centerpiece of the franchise as he demonstrated to be one of the top young talents in the league. He has produced at a record-breaking pace with over 9,000 passing yards and rushing yards in his first 36 career games. Before that, he also joined Cam Newton as the only players to record at least 7,500 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his first 30 career games.

The Clemson product has done the work necessary to be in a spot to earn a historic deal from Houston.

Bill O’Brien’s questionable decision-making

The signs suggest that the Texans are on their way toward working out a new lucrative extension with Watson, but it’s Bill O’Brien’s previous decision-making that still leaves fans scratching their heads.

That saw O’Brien decide to move on from star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason because he wanted an extension a year earlier than he would have liked. It saw him ship off the team’s best skilled-position talent to the Arizona Cardinals, which puts a significant damper on the offense. On top of that, he didn’t even land a first-round pick in exchange for one of the league’s best wideouts.

If the Texans want to bring out the most from their offense led by Watson, making these types of moves only makes that more difficult.

Deshaun Watson has Bill O’Brien, Texans in his palm

The Houston Texans’ decision-making may be in Bill O’Brien’s control, but Deshaun Watson holds the franchise in his hands.

The Texans struggled to find their next franchise cornerstone before him rifling through Brock Osweiler, Tom Savage, T.J. Yates, Ryan Mallet, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all before him. The organization has become a playoff constant with Watson heading the charge.

There isn’t a timetable on his next contract, but the Texans would be quite foolish not to hammer out what will be a record-breaking deal. The contract may see the annual salary go north of $40 million and potentially beyond $200 million overall, but it’s a long-term commitment that O’Brien would be unwise to turn down.