The Texans won’t answer the phone to hear trade proposals for Deshaun Watson and the star quarterback is willing to miss regular season games if he’s not dealt.
In other words, the standoff between the franchise and their unhappy quarterback continues.
ESPN.com reported on Friday that Watson is willing to lose big money by sitting out if Houston refuses to move him and the relationship is beyond repair.
“He could incur $3 million-plus in fines during that process, but he does not care. I’m told the relationship is simply too far gone right now,” ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler said.
This report came hours after NFL Network reported that teams have resorted to leaving voicemails with the Texans since they are unwilling to engage in trade talks.
Watson, 25, signed a four-year, $156 million extension last season, but has felt disrespected by the Texans not consulting him on key decisions, such as hiring Nick Caserio as GM and trading star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last spring.
NFL Network has also reported that the Texans don’t feel there are any deadlines to make a trade, such as the start of free agency (March 17) or 2021 NFL Draft (April 29). Teams that would like to be involved, like the Jets, Dolphins and Panthers, also don’t believe Watson will get dealt.
Nobody has blinked yet.
