As the 2021 NFL Playoffs are set to begin this weekend, the biggest news regarding the league happened on Thursday in Houston. No, it was not the Houston Texans hiring Nick Caserio as their general manager but instead their franchise quarterback’s reaction to the moves the franchise is making.
Reports circulated early on Thursday that Deshaun Watson was unhappy in Houston and was talking to teammates about a potential trade. After another report by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle nixed that, it didn’t take long for more news to come about in terms of a potential trade.
The latest is that Watson is unhappy with his involvement in finding a new general manager and head coach. He advocated for the team to interview and hire Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and is really not happy he’s not having a say. The report suggests that Watson is unhappy and could demand a trade. Here is what Pro Football Talk wrote:
Albert Breer of SI.com supplies another reason for Watson’s consternation. Per Breer, Watson advocated for the Texans to hire Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The Texans, however, became the only team with a vacancy to not even interview Bieniemy.
Breer explains that Mahomes “put in a strong word” for Bieniemy, which prompted Watson to push for Bieniemy. The Texans, who had said they’d consult with Watson, ignored Watson’s suggestion. And that undoubtedly has contributed to the consternation and frustration that Watson is currently feeling.
Although the Texans claim they won’t trade Watson, they may have no choice. Especially once they start getting offers that they may not be able to refuse. Now that the cat is out of the bag, it’s inevitable that new G.M. Nick Caserio’s phone will be ringing.
While nothing is concrete right now, we appear to be heading into a direction of Watson forcing himself out of Houston this offseason which would the biggest storyline in the league. This happening a year after the team trading DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona, letting go of a crucial offensive piece.
If Watson is available, the Bears should be interested ASAP. They passed on him once and the chance to land a franchise quarterback doesn’t happen often even if it did require sending three first-round picks. The Bears need to go all in and make it happen if he’s available.
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