The Deshaun Watson Era Finally Ends In Houston
FILE – Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson walks off the field before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Houston. Cleveland’s blockbuster trade for the legally entangled quarterback became official Sunday, when the Browns finalized the complex deal and released statements from owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam explaining their decision to add him to their roster following the team’s own extensive investigation. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith, File)
March 23, 2022
April 27th, 2017, 16-year-old me is patiently waiting for the 2017 NFL Draft to start. To see who’s going to be the next quarterback for the Houston Texans? Through the first 11 picks of the draft, two quarterbacks were taken Patrick Mahomes and Mitch Triubsky. Then the 12th overall pick comes around and Rodger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, announces that the Cleveland Browns had traded the 12th overall pick to the Houston Texans. At this moment I knew who the Texans are going to draft. Then I saw Roger Goodell walk back up to the podium to announce the Houston Texans pick while simultaneously getting booed by the people of Philadelphia. Then he announces “With the 12th overall, the Houston Texans select Deshaun Watson, Clemson.” When I heard him say that I was ecstatic and was smiling from ear to ear.
Why was I so happy that the Texans drafted Deshaun Watson? Well, I have been a lifelong Clemson football fan, so to have your favorite NFL team draft the quarterback from your favorite college football team is a joy that not many people can experience in their lifetime. I knew Deshaun was going to be a great quarterback for the Texans because I had seen every game he played for the last 3 years. Though I never it was going to end in such a bad way.
Before tearing his ACL his rookie season in 2017, Deshaun was on pace for an extraordinary rookie year. After recovering from the ACL he went on to have three incredible years of stats and also being selected to the Pro Bowl 3 straight times. Then before the start of the 2020 season, Deshaun signed a 4 year 156 million contract extension through 2025. The 2020 season was a bad year for the Houston Texans as they finished with 4 wins and 12 losses. Yet, 2020 was Deshaun’s best year stat-wise as he threw for 33 touchdowns, 4823 yards, and only 7 interceptions. So what happened to make Deshaun Watson the biggest disappointment in Texans’ history?
Well, Deshaun requested a trade on January 28th, 2021 after he was unhappy with Cal McNair on the process of when the hired Nick Caserio, current Texans GM after they said he was going to be a part of helping make the decision. Then in March 0f 2021, Tony Buzzbee filed lawsuits against Deshaun Watson of accusations of sexual harassment and assault from massage therapists. This caused Deshaun to sit out the whole 2021 season as he was facing legal battles while still wanting a trade. A year later on March 11, 2022, a grand jury in Houston acquitted Deshaun of all criminal charges.
This past Friday on March 18th, 2022 the Deshaun Watson era in Houston finally ended when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. This era will leave a bad taste in every Houston Texans fans’ mouth especially for me because there could’ve been so many possibilities of what if? Though it looks like that’s something we have to leave in the past and look towards the very bleak future of the Texans organization.
