Fuller’s return appears unlikely
Franchise tag may not work due to cap space
Will Fuller’s next route could be a fly pattern out of Houston.
Unless the Texans designate the speedy wide receiver as their franchise player by a March 9 NFL deadline, Fuller is considered likely to leave the franchise and cash in as an unrestricted free agent.
Although Fuller won’t play in the 2021 season opener to complete his sixgame suspension for a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, he’s still regarded as one of the most dangerous deep threats in the game.
For multiple reasons, especially quarterback Deshaun Watson’s extreme disgruntlement with the team, Fuller is considered unlikely to remain with the Texans unless they make him their franchise player.
The Texans are interested in retaining Fuller, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
It’s a complicated and expensive situation, though, as the Texans contemplate whether to use the franchise tag on Fuller. The first day they could have utilized the $16.54 million franchise tender was Tuesday.
Multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly said they would be surprised if Fuller wound up being assigned the franchise tag.
The salary cap has an established floor of $180 million, though it might go up.
But the Texans, with roughly $3.9 million presently available in cap space even after cutting defensive end J.J. Watt and shedding his $17.5 million salary, are facing a tight financial situation.
Regardless of whether they cut running back David Johnson and other highpriced veterans or restructure their contracts, the Texans are not going to have a lot of wiggle room this offseason.
They also have a proven wide receiver under contract in Brandin Cooks, who caught 81 passes for 1,150 yards and six touchdowns after being acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Rams for a second-round draft pick. Cooks excelled after Fuller was punished by the NFL.
A lot has transpired since Fuller was suspended and his $10.164 million fifth-year salary expired.
At the end of the season, the relationship between Watson and the Texans was in a much less awkward place. Watson emphasized at the time that he would try to convince Fuller to stay with the Texans.
“Hopefully, we can get him back,” Watson said in January, one day after the Texans’ 4-12 season ended with a loss to the Tennessee Titans. “I’m definitely going to be on that with the organization and with him. I actually saw him before I came in, and we sat and talked in the parking lot a little bit.”
Since that parking lot conversation, the quarterback has been in a high-profile dispute with the team after not being given input into the hiring process of general manager Nick Caserio and coach David Culley. Watson, who signed a $156 million extension with $111 million guaranteed in September, has a no-trade clause and can effectively pick his own destination if a blockbuster trade can be worked out.
Nothing has changed between the team and Watson recently. Watson remains adamant that he wants out, isn’t returning the Texans’ calls and text messages, and has no intention of playing another snap for the team that drafted him in the first round out of Clemson in 2017, according to sources.
The Texans are steadfast and dug in that Watson is their quarterback and unavailable for trade offers and are not returning teams’ calls, according to sources. Texans chairman and chief operating officer Cal McNair recently reiterated: “Deshaun is a Texan, and he’s going to be a Texan.”
Because Watson and Fuller have a close relationship and have built a strong chemistry over the past four years, their respective situations are interconnected.
If Watson and the Texans don’t reconcile, which many league sources predict is the most likely scenario, then Fuller is considered unlikely to want to return.
Fuller is a talented former first-round draft pick from Notre Dame who caught a career-high 53 passes for 879 yards and eight touchdowns before the suspension. During a Thanksgiving Day victory over the Detroit Lions, Fuller caught six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
When he was suspended, Fuller apologized and attributed the situation to being misled and taking medication, given to him from a medical professional, that wasn’t allowed under NFL guidelines. The medical professional gave the same substance to Texans cornerback Bradley Roby and former Denver Broncos and Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye, with both players suspended for six games by the NFL.
“Earlier this year, I sought treatment from a medical professional who prescribed medication that he believed to be permitted under the NFL’s drug policy,” Fuller said in a statement. “As it turns out, my trust in this professional was misplaced because this medication was NOT a permitted substance under the NFL Policy on Performance Enhancing Substances.
“As a result of this mistake, I have been suspended for six games for taking this prohibited medication. I want to sincerely apologize to the Texans organization and all of my fans for this mistake. I am looking forward to putting this all behind me and returning better than ever in 2021.”
The Texans held discussions with the Green Bay Packers before the NFL trade deadline and wanted a second-round draft pick in exchange for Fuller, according to league sources. The Packers were willing to part with only a fourth-round draft pick and wanted the Texans to pay a portion of Fuller's remaining $10.162 million salary.
“To be honest, it really sucked being shopped around like that,” Fuller said during the season. “Giving this organization my all and coming to work every day, I’m a very unselfish player and do everything they asked. To be shopped around, I did feel a certain type of way. I am happy to be here and to play with Deshaun and to continue to try to get wins with this organization.”
Unless the Texans create salary-cap space to tag Fuller and either keep him or trade him, the most they can get in return for him if he signs a market-value contract with another team would be a compensatory third-round draft pick in
2022.
If Fuller winds up leaving and Watson is traded or doesn’t show up and is placed on a reserve-did not report list, the Texans could build their passing game around Cooks and have him work in tandem with Randall Cobb, Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen.
Fuller might have played his final game for the Texans, but the suspension damages his value on the open market. Before the suspension, Fuller was easing concerns about his durability and was expected to land a contract paying between $15 million and $17 million annually.
This is a good free-agent class of receivers, including the Chicago Bears’ Allen Robinson, the Detroit Lions’ Kenny Golladay, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster. As a free agent, Fuller would face stiff competition to land a big contract.
But few wide receivers are as fast and explosive as Fuller, who has run the 40yard dash in 4.28 seconds.
His best option could be signing a one-year, incentive-laden contract and then cashing in during the 2022 offseason when the salary cap is expected to rise significantly.