Could Deshaun Watson Already Want Out of Houston?

Trade rumors are swirling in regards to Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Could the former Clemson Tiger be on the verge of asking Houston to trade him?

Deshaun Watson is one of the best NFL quarterbacks on one of the worst NFL teams.

After going 10-6 last season, the Texans lost to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City in the Divisional round 51-31 after jumping out to a 24-0 lead. Things have been spiraling downward ever since and the Texans stumbled to a 4-12 record this season.

Despite the abysmal performance of the Texans, Watson set career highs across the board in 2020. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes for an NFL-leading 4,823 yards, with 33 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions. He also made plenty of plays with his legs, rushing for 444 yards and three scores.

"Deshaun Watson is indeed, so freaking awesome," Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said. "Look at this 4,823 passing yards for a 4-12 team, so nothing around him. He's got nothing around him.

However, as Florio points out, the former Clemson quarterback has no help and can not do it alone. Florio also is reporting that Watson has "quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade." Listening to his comments after the Texans last loss to the Titans, that news shouldn't come as a surprise.

"He said after the game on Sunday when they lost to the Tennessee Titans 'there's no real foundation in view, and everyone sees it,'" Florio said. "That would scare the crap out of me if I was a Texans fan."

Watson spent much of the season running for his life behind an ineffective offensive line, but that didn't stop him from showing the rest of the NFL that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Although, with each passing year, Watson's window for winning a Super Bowl gets smaller and his best shot at winning one just might be playing for a different organization. 

"He had seven games this year with a passer rating of 110 or more... and lost them," Florio said. "Tom Brady, for his entire career, has three games that he's lost where he had a passer rating in excess of 110. Deshaun Watson had seven in one year. That tells you that the cupboard around Deshaun Watson is bare."


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JP Priester
JP PRIESTER

Jason Priester: Born and raised in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. I have been covering Clemson Athletics for close to five years now and joined the Maven team in January.