Houston Texans Chairman and CEO Cal McNair is shutting down the Deshaun Watson trade rumors once and for all, saying Friday that he “is our quarterback.”
McNair’s comments came shortly after veteran defensive end J.J. Watt announced on social media that both sides “mutually” agreed to part ways after he requested his release. The shakeup obviously prompted fans to make a connection with the recent reports that Watson is unhappy with the organization and wants out himself.
JJ WATT, TEXANS ‘MUTUALLY’ PART WAYS AFTER 10 SEASONS
“There is a lot of misinformation out there, I’ll leave it at that,” McNair said, according to an ESPN report. “Today we want on focus on J.J. Deshaun is our quarterback, he is a Texan, and we expect him to remain a Texan, and we’ll leave [it at] that.”
Watson had one of his best seasons this past year despite the Texans’ 4-14 record. After their final loss of the year, Watt apologized to the young signal-caller, saying “we wasted one of your years.”
“Good job, brother. I’m sorry,” he said to Watson. “I’m sorry. We wasted one of your years. I’m sorry. I mean, we should have 11 wins. We should.”
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After Watt announced his departure from the team on Friday, Watson took to social media to praise his former teammate.
“Salute to one of the Greatest of All Time,” his tweet read. “I appreciate you for all the work you put in and more importantly the person you are. Any team in the league will be better the day you out on their jersey!”
The tipping point for Watson appeared to be when the team hired new general manager Nick Caserio without his input. The hiring of new head coach David Culley thereafter had no effect on Watson’s desire to be traded, according to multiple reports.
It remains unclear how the Texans will bridge that gap, but McNair’s comments on Friday make it clear, they’re not budging.
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Watson, who was drafted by the Texans in 2017, signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension in September. He finished the 2020 season with a league-high 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
