The Houston Texans' relationship with their franchise quarterback, Deshaun Watson, is fractured.
Watson recently tweeted that his level of anger with the team has reached a "10" after the team's recent moves in the front office and its lack of communication with him regarding those moves. (Watson indicated that his anger was at a "2" before those developments. Watson's tweet confirmed a prior report from ESPN.com's Adam Schefter, indicating those same specified levels of anger.
"He is one unhappy camper and has no plans to be with the Houston Texans anytime soon -- if ever," Schefter reported.
Schefter's ESPN colleague, Chris Mortensen, reported that Watson's anger was not just about the consolidation of front office power under Jack Easterby and/or the lack of consultation with Watson himself regarding that move, and not just about the team reportedly declining to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for its heading coaching job. (The Texans later set up an interview with Bieniemy, which was scheduled for Monday.) Apparently, Watson's frustration is directly with owner Cal McNair.
"Sources close to Watson say this is bigger than firing Jack Easterby, the front office executive whom McNair says he won't fire," Mortensen said. "He says -- this source says -- that unless Cal McNair can fire himself, Deshaun Watson is not about to change his mind that he does not want anything to do with the Texans going forward."
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky stated on "Get Up'' that the situation "is worse than what's being reported. It's worse than what can be said on television," and that he does not believe Watson will ever play for the Texans again. Orlovsky stated that there are "deeply-rooted" issues with how the Texans treat their players, and specifically star players.
Former NFL safety Ryan Clark added that the situation is, "about the history of the Houston Texans -- the way they've treated players, the way that they've treated African-American players. And this is about lying."
Later on Monday morning, Watson caught wind of an apparent planned march in Houston, with Texans fans wanting to show support for their quarterback. Watson, though he appreciated the support, told fans they should stay home instead, citing the high rates of COVID-19 spread in the area.
