Here’s why Houston letting J.J. Watt go is unforgivably embarrassing

Houston’s big mistake in letting JJ Watt go wasn’t about business or sentiment. It was adding to the perception that they’re a failing franchise.

The Houston Texans will regret a lot of decisions they made over the last few years, from trading DeAndre Hopkins for nothing to alienating franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Driving a figure like Watt out of Houston is just proof the franchise just doesn’t get it.

Watt was a fixture in the city. He was named the Walter Peyton Man of the Year in 2017 because of his work supporting recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey.

Football is a business. Sentiment can’t get in the way of winning. The problem is the Texans get in the way of winning all on their own.

In this case, it’s not sentiment but optics that matter.

Houston is wasting their star players like JJ Watt

The Texans are either incompetent or they don’t value their players. If they did, they would put them in a position to succeed.

They wouldn’t have sent Hopkins to Arizona, blatantly depleting the offensive weapons available to Watson.

Letting Watt walk says plenty to Watson, whose chances of staying with the franchise for the long term look slim at best. A five-time Pro Bowler and arguably the best player in franchise history had no interest in remaining in the mess any longer. The Texans embraced that perception by not fighting harder for a trade or convincing Watt to finish his contract.

After watching Hopkins and Watt leave, what reason does Watson have to stick around? What reason does any big-time free agent have to join the Texans? Who in their right mind wants any piece of this franchise?

Hopkins is better off with the Cardinals. Watt will be better off with them, too, even if his age and injuries catch up to him. And Watson will be better off when he finds a new team. That’s the message the Texans keep sending.