It's getting more common to see players opting out of their contracts or threatening to hold out unless they're traded or extended. We've seen it multiple times around the NFL over the past couple of years, and we're seeing it again now with Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans.
Watson is livid at the organization and has vowed to never play a single snap for them again. However, he's still under contract and the organization holds every right to keep him if they don't want to trade him.
It seems like this stand-off between both parties will continue for quite some time, as the Texans seem reluctant to field calls for him, yet he's unwilling to cave in and just bury the hatchet.
Houston Texans Say They Won't Trade Deshaun Watson
"He is our starting quarterback as of right now. He is our starting quarterback. Things happen between now and then. We'll see what happens," new Texans head coach David Culley recently told the media.
NBC Sports: Watson 'Wants To Play' For The San Francisco 49ers Or Denver Broncos
However, former GM Michael Lombardi believes that Watson actually holds control of his destiny because of his no-trade clause, and he reported that Deshaun already narrowed down his preferred destinations to San Francisco or Denver:
"[Watson] controls where he wants to go. The rumor is he doesn't want to play in New York, he doesn't want to play in Miami. He wants to play in Denver and San Francisco. So, say [Watson] says, 'I only want to go to San Francisco'- Well now, San Francisco has all the leverage in the trade," Lombardi said on The Rich Eisen Show.
Both the Broncos and 49ers could use an improvement at the quarterback position, although they both look committed to Drew Lock and Jimmy Garoppolo, respectively. So we'll have to wait and see whether they make an offer the Texans are actually willing to listen to.
