No way this should be happening.
Tell me you haven't heard me say that or something very close to that on every show for nearly the past two weeks.
How could things have ever reached this point? Ever come even close to reaching this point?
After just four seasons, the Deshaun Watson era in Houston could be over. Even typing that making no sense.
Headlines reading, "Sources believe Deshaun Watson may have played his last snap with the Texans" and "Report: Growing sense that Watson will leave the Texans."
Tweets have ruled the days recently from not only Watson....but also from wide receiver Randall Cobb.
(Though the Watson song lyric tweet did produce this radio gold from the open of our show on Friday. Yes, me, dropping bars. Yikes.)
While obviously taking every snap, but one, playing through a 4-12 season, would take it's toll on a quarterback. Especially one that was brilliant in defeat time and time again, despite being sacked more than all but one other quarterback. Especially one that just quarterbacked back-to-back playoff Texans teams. This clearly goes way beyond frustration with the performance of the team, way beyond the talent level of the team.
From the hiring of Jack Easterby in April of 2019, things have been heading rapidly into the toilet for the franchise. That's not to say that all bad decisions are linked to Easterby, but many of them are. For the first time in franchise history, they began operating without a general manager, after they fired Brian Gaine and bungled the pursuit of current general manager Nick Caserio. Then they went with a general manager who is also the head coach. All with Easterby described as the voice being listened to most for these decisions.
The personnel decisions that left the team with a lot less talent than in Watson's first full season as the starter and in far worse shape from a salary cap situation were made by others, but again with Easterby having far too loud a voice. His involvement level in personnel decisions should be around a zero. That's the claim of where they are now from CEO & chairman Cal McNair with Caserio in place as general manager.
However, those that believe firing Jack Easterby, the team's under-qualified, executive vice president of football operations, is what will solve the problem and smooth things back over between the franchise and the franchise quarterback are misguided.
Obviously the hope is Watson pushes (hard) for positive change & remains #Texans QB. Just know that issues run much deeper than "it's all fixed if Easterby is gone." Note what Texans legend and member of the team's Ring of Honor Andre Johnson specifically said in his tweet: 'The Texans organization is known for wasting players careers' <-- a problem unrelated to Jack, in existence long before his arrival.
The constant is the McNair family, though, a turn for the worse in how they're run has taken place since Bob passed away in Nov. 2018. It's long past time for the limited partners to have something to say internally and they need to say something loudly.
Just keep this in mind, the person that Watson is the most annoyed, disgusted, frustrated, turned off by is the owner. It's playing for him that has become what Watson has to wrangle with. He agreed to do so when he signed his lucrative, long-term extension worth roughly $160 million.
It's safe to argue that no amount of foresight from Watson or his camp could've believed things could've reached this point, but that's where things are. Should Watson have a say in who is hired? A say in who is interviewed? A say at all?
It would seem reasonable to get some input from the player that affects the future of the franchise and the business of the organization more than any other. Once it was said publicly by both McNair and Watson that would be the case, it should've have happened. All indications are that it did not.
From the team standpoint, Caserio is conducting interviews. But the most important question isn't coming from the Texans, it's coming from the candidates. Is Deshaun Watson going to be here? It's beyond belief that is a real thing, but it is. It's more beyond belief, that the Texans can't really answer that question.
All, but two of the seven teams have made their head coaching decisions. Only the Texans and Eagles remain without a head coach. The Eagles position has been open for seven days. The Texans head coaching job has been open for 105 days.
Note reports yesterday - "One source told ESPN's Sarah Barshop that the Texans have had internal conversations about possible trade partners and what their quarterback position would look like in the future without Watson." Actually having a discussion about moving on from the Watson. That is incredible.
The other thing you heard from me on the show is the Texans made the impossible, possible. They made their head coaching job undesirable. Only 32 of these jobs exist. Even with a horrible cap situation and clear issues in the organization, with Watson coming off an incredible season, what coach wouldn't want to work with him. And yet again, here we are. The Texans situation with Watson is at best unsettled.
The decision-making and blind loyalty to an in-over-his-head employee is only part of McNair's problem with Watson. McNair has not wavered on his public backing of Easterby and that he will not be leaving the organization.
Bottom line - Easterby is a distraction, that much is clear. A distraction in every possible way towards building a culture (the culture he was brought in to change), building a talented team and re-building some trust and belief from the quarterback. But an Easterby exit is not the cure-all to avoiding a Watson exit. It all starts with Cal McNair, and for the last two weeks it's looked like any hopes of good times with Watson will end with McNair.
If Easterby still has Cal's ear and it sure looks like he does, somebody with the Texans' best interests at heart better start shouting into the other ear and fast.
My belief is Watson will not ask for a trade, but also will not be happy. Time will tell if that will change. But moving forward with a new GM that he hardly knows, a new head coach, yet to be hired and a front office without Easterby would be a nice start.