Deshaun Watson has asked Houston Texans to trade him, sources say

HOUSTON – Quarterback Deshaun Watson has asked the Houston Texans for a trade, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.

Watson made the request to the team weeks ago, sources told ESPN.

New Texans head coach David Culley has not and will not change Watson’s thinking, sources have told ESPN.

Watson has not spoken to new Texans general manager Nick Caserio or executive Jack Easterby, sources told ESPN.

Watson, who signed a four-year, $ 156 million contract extension in September, is under contract until the 2025 season. He has a no-trade inclusion in his contract, but given the length of his contract. and the ability to brand him franchise for three years, the Texans could choose not to trade him and would have control of his rights until the 2028 season.

The swap request comes after Watson was reportedly unhappy with the process the team used to hire Caserio in early January.

After Watson signed his contract extension last year, he was emotional as he discussed how happy he was to be committing to the franchise and the city.

“It’s just an amazing time for me to be able to extend my career in a place, in a place, in a house, I would say, that my family loves, that I love,” Watson said in September. “I want to continue to delve into the community above all else and continue to build my legacy, just build our legacy as a whole and do something that we’ve never done before.

Watson set career highs last season in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. He also threw seven interceptions at his career low. His 33 touchdowns and 4,823 passing yards were also franchise records in one season.

The quarterback’s best individual season came in a season the team went 4-12 and sacked head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien after a 0-4 start.

Despite only playing four seasons (54 games), Watson’s 104 passing touchdowns and 14,539 passing yards rank second in Texas franchise history behind Matt Schaub (124 touchdowns and 23 221 passing yards in 90 games).

Watson is currently the NFL’s all-time leader in completion percentage behind New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. In 2020, he became only the 11th player in NFL history to complete at least 70% of his passes in a single season.