Pro Bowler’s discontent won’t deter new boss
David Culley coached Deshaun Watson a year ago at the Pro Bowl as part of the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff and built a fast connection with the Texans’ star quarterback.
Now that Culley has been signed to a five-year contract as the Texans’ new head coach, it’s extremely unclear if he will wind up coaching one of the most dynamic players in the NFL.
League sources not authorized to speak publicly characterized the odds of Watson playing again for the Texans as “highly doubtful,” with one saying “absolutely not” barring an unanticipated improvement in a damaged relationship.
Watson officially has requested a trade, and he remains embroiled in a deeply rooted divide with the franchise that has nothing to do with Culley, the former Ravens’ assistant head coach, receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
Because of this disconnect in the relationship between the quarterback and the team that signed him to a four-year, $156 million contract in September, multiple league sources predicted
Friday that Culley will never get the opportunity to coach Watson.
That’s how firm Watson’s convictions are about his displeasure with the organization after being left out of the hiring process for a new GM after chairman and CEO Cal McNair assured him he’d have a voice.
For his part, Culley concentrated on landing the first head coaching position of his career instead of
dwelling on Watson’s status. Obviously, Culley would love to coach a highcharacter 25-year-old in his prime who led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards last season and threw a career-high 33 touchdown passes.
“The only thing I knew about this whole situation at that point was that I was being interviewed for this job to be the head coach,” Culley said Friday during his introductory news conference. “And I did know at that point Deshaun Watson’s a Houston Texan. He’s the quarterback of the
Houston Texans. That’s all that I was concerned about, and that’s all I knew. And whatever has been said about what was, what he wanted to do or he didn’t want to do, all I knew is this, having been in this business this long, he is a Houston Texan and I want him to be a Houston Texan.
“And the reason I’m in this position today is because I knew he’s going to be a Houston Texan. And so that, the outside stuff that was being said, was irrelevant to me because the most important thing to me
is that, at that time, was figuring out what can I do, after talking with (general manager) Nick (Caserio) and this (McNair) family, to become the head coach of the Houston Texans.”
Watson’s contract includes a no-trade clause, which gives him the ability to essentially pick his destination should the Texans change their stance. The Texans’ position is that Watson is under contract and will remain their quarterback and offensive leader.
Watson is subject to fines
of $95,877 if he doesn’t attend mini-camp and $50,000 per day for missed training camp practices and being docked $620,000 in weekly game checks as part of his $10.54 million base salary in 2021.
Watson became the first player to lead the league in passing yards on a team with at least 12 losses since Jeff George with the Raiders in 1997 last season.
Without Watson, the Texans could be in a rebuilding situation.
Culley said he embraces the challenge.
“I look at it as a way as this is a new year,” Culley said. “This is a new start and what we’re getting ready to do now will have nothing to do with what happened in the past as we’re going forward right now to do the things that we need to do to be the best franchise that we can be, and go and try to accomplish those goals. I feel like that this franchise has the inner workings to do that and that’s why I’m here.”