Why Didn't Texans Get Player In Deshaun Watson Trade?

Houston Texans' general manager Nick Caserio explains the decision to not acquire a player in exchange for Deshaun Watson.

HOUSTON — It took 14 months before the Houston Texans granted Deshaun Watson's trade request.

Friday afternoon, the Texans traded Watson to the Cleveland Browns for a massive haul of draft picks, which includes the No. 13 overall selection for the 2022 NFL Draft. A pair of additional first-round picks in 2023 and 2024. A 2023 third-round selection. And a 2024 fourth-round pick.

With the exception of not obtaining a second-round selection, the Browns met general manager Nick Caserio's pricey demands to win the sweepstakes for Watson — in terms of draft capital. But Houston accepted the trade without acquiring an established player from Cleveland. 

The chance to acquire players back in a deal was one of several propositions. But perhaps, receiving players in exchange for Watson was not as important to Caserio and the Texans.  

Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson

USA Today Sports

Deshaun Watson

"I would say other than three first-round picks, the rest of it was a little bit of speculation," Caserio said during a press conference he held on Saturday at NRG Stadium. "You just try to look at what makes the most sense. There wasn’t a set number that was important."

Over the past week, the rumor mill linked the Texans to several different players. It was said ... Had Watson waived his no-trade clause for the Panthers, the Texans preferred a package that included defensive end, Brian Burns. And if the Atlanta Falcons or New Orleans Saints traded for Watson, Houston's secondary would have received a significant boost from either A.J. Terrell or C.J. Grander-Johnson.

Nick Caserio

Nick Caserio

Nick Caserio

"What we tried to do was bring the teams that had a legitimate interest, and that was based off the compensation that was presented," Caserio said. "There was a certain threshold that I had established in order to make it a legitimate discussion, and if we got to that point then we could engage further."

Watson played four seasons for the Texans before missing the entire 2021 campaign due to an unfilled trade request and off-field issues. After the Texans drafted him with the No. 12th pick in 2017, Watson ends his career in Houston throwing for 14,539 yards and 104 touchdowns while completing 67.8 percent of his pass attempts.

In 53 career games starting under center, Watson accumulated a 28-25 record with the Texans.