Texans say they have ‘zero interest’ in trading Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson may be desperate to leave the Texans, but the organization’s front office has no interest in parting with their franchise quarterback. 

They say everything is bigger in Texas and that description certainly applies to the looming showdown between Deshaun Watson and the Texans. The superstar signal-caller wants to engineer a trade that will allow him to leave Houston this offseason, but the team desperately wants to keep hold of their most talented player.

Texans GM Nick Caserio told the media on Friday that his franchise has “zero interest” in trading Watson. That flies in the face of conventional NFL wisdom that believes Watson will be on the move this offseason. The stage is now set for an ugly battle between Houston and the face of their franchise.

In fairness to Caserio and his front office, it would not make any sense for them to say anything positive about the idea of trading Watson at this time. If Houston is going to let their starting quarterback go this offseason, they want to secure the largest trade return possible. It makes sense to draw a hard line against the idea of dealing Watson right up until the moment the Texans receive an offer they cannot refuse.

It will be particularly interesting to see how Watson publicly reacts to the Texans’ recent declaration. Up until now, he’s been hesitant to criticize the organization in the media despite the litany of personnel mistakes they’ve made during his tenure. The idea that Caserio might not be willing to sanction the trade he covets might force Watson to change that strategy.

In the end, the odds still favor Watson finding a new team before the 2021 season kicks off. That doesn’t mean the Texans will be in any hurry to grant his trade request. It’s in their best interest to drag things out as long as possible to maximize their potential trade return. Don’t look for this trade saga to end anytime soon.