Both Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach David Culley said last Friday that the organization isn't interested in trading three-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson, despite his reported request to be dealt.
If that was more than just public posturing - and perhaps a last-ditch effort to try to ease the tension with Watson - the Texans may be in for a rude awakening.
Former NFL quarterback turned NBC analyst Chris Simms says that not only has he been told that Watson has no interest in returning to the Texans in 2021 - which is fairly obvious at this stage - but that he's so disillusioned by the organization that he'd be willing to sit out a season if he isn't traded.
"I've been led to believe this - that there's no way that Deshaun Watson will play for the Houston Texans again," Simms said on PFT Live Monday. "Yeah, I'm saying that. I have been told by somebody that I trust that says 'Deshaun Watson will not play for the Houston Texans ever again, and he's willing to sit out football for the year if he has to.' That's where I've been led to understand this situation and where it's at right now, and like I said, it's someone that I trust very much."
The only scenario worse for the Texans than Watson playing for another team in 2021 would be if he's still employed by the organization and sits out. In the event of a trade, the Texans will at least have recouped significant draft compensation, which they are in dire need of.
Would Watson actually sit out? It's relatively rare that players - especially given the financial consequences - follow through out threats to sit out, but certainly not unheard of. Frustrated with a lack of commitment to winning, Carson Palmer retired after the 2010 season, rather than play an eighth season with the Cincinnati Bengals. In October of 2011, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders. Le'Veon Bell sat out the entire 2018 season after being franchise tagged by the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second straight year, and was granted his free agency after the season. After a terrifying missed medical diagnosis, Trent Williams sat out the entire 2019 season, which led to the The Washington Football Team trading him to the San Francisco 49ers after the end of the campaign.
You only have a set number of years that you are able to physically compete at the NFL level, so it takes tremendous discipline to sit out an extended stretch of time. But if you prove you're willing to sit out, it often leads to you receiving your desired result. Watson is only 25 and Spotrac says he's already made $40 million in the NFL, so if there's anyone in a position to hold their ground, it's him.
One reality that often faces players who sit out is that not all of their current teammates support their holdout. However, Simms said he's heard that Watson has the support of his Texans teammates, which echoes similar sentiments that Peter King shared in Football Morning in America Monday.
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