It seems rather fitting that the famous quote from Apollo 13 now rings true around the front office of the Houston Texans. The past year has been nothing short of a downright, categorical mess, and that’s putting it lightly. The pieces of a once near complete jigsaw began to crumble away at the seams with the departure of DeAndre Hopkins and, since that moment 366 days ago, all that remains are the weakest of foundations barely keeping the organisation afloat. J.J Watt, the beating heart of a once renowned Houston defence has, too, departed, leaving a vast, gaping hole in their rearguard. And then there is Deshaun Watson, the lifeblood of an offense now devoid of an otherwise deficient attack, seemingly heading for the exit door, leaving behind a franchise that has hit the lowest of all the lows. A year to forget has spiralled into a year of much regret, as the question mark over the franchise’s future continues to swell.
The trap door to uncertainty was opened on March 16, 2020, when the Texans traded their principal wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals, in what was the most shocking trade of the 2020 offseason. This would mark the beginning of a cataclysmic year in which almost all of their integral pieces would flee. The relationship between the then general manager (and coach), Bill O’Brien, and Hopkins, was brittle. O’Brien’s panicky mentality led to Hopkins’ departure and, as Watson no longer had his favoured receiver to throw to, one can begin to see why this was the catalyst for all their calamity. Upon Hopkins’ trade announcement, the wide out gallantly Tweeted: ‘I can see clearly now the rain has gone.’ The once gentle patter of rain has since been replaced by a Category 5 hurricane, a suitable metaphor for the senseless Texans’ front office of the past year.
It appeared, however, that perhaps they had grasped knowledge of their previous mistake, for a short while at least. Six days prior to their first game of the 2020 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Texans and Watson agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $160 million. That, too, came with $111 million in guarantees, making it the second biggest contract in the NFL behind the very quarterback who he would be facing in less than a week’s time, Patrick Mahomes. This, at the time, was unequivocally welcome news for a fan base met with constant uncertainty. Since then, however, nothing has gone to plan. Week 1 was met with a combative performance in a narrow loss to Mahomes’ Chiefs at Arrowhead, as is to be expected. Much was the same the weekend after, as the Baltimore Ravens too came away with the win. Not entirely the most straightforward of openings to a season, and it would not get any easier in difficulty as the Pittsburgh Steelers muscled their way past Houston but, now four games into the season, it started to brew the idea that maybe trading Hopkins was far from genius.
An 0-4 start to proceedings effectively ended the Texans’ play-off hopes far before they had even started. If there was a way in which to make their newly re-signed, immensely rated quarterback feel any sort of positivity at the loss of his star receiver, this was not it. Offensive performances were far from dreadful but, when a defence gives up on average 31.5 points over the first four games, something is evidently not right. This, plainly, was not only the opinion of your humble narrator, as O’Brien was swiftly shown the door, leaving a rather extensive hole in two equally vital roles which would not be suitably filled for some three months after. Relief, however, was to be found in the form of the dreary Jacksonville Jaguars, as the Texans would finally harvest their first win. Several uninspiring months followed with the losses arriving as frequently as a tree losing its leaves in Autumn, so what better time to hire a new general manager in the shape of Nick Caserio. Could this be the change of tide for the patient city of Houston? Well, not quite, as of yet anyhow. His inauguration was far from the ideal, far from the conventional.
With the Texans having promised their adept 25 year old quarterback that he would be included in their head coaching search and then, in typical fashion, failing to endorse Watson’s suggestion, it marked the starting point of an exponentially deteriorating relationship that remains unresolved. The aftermath saw Watson vent his anger on Twitter, something that often does not bode well in professional sports. Despite Watson’s continued growth in the game, as he comes away from producing the best season of his career in 2020 by throwing for career highs in touchdown passes, passing yards, completion percentage and a career-low seven interceptions – Houston has failed to deliver on its end of the bargain. A day after David Culley joined the Texans as the new head coach, Watson requested a trade away from the Space City. The franchise which drafted Watson twelfth overall in 2017 have let their highest rated young talent slip through their fingers. It is almost as if the Texans have showcased how not to run a football club, and we are not quite finished yet.
A 2021 offseason of change continued with another departure, as team president Jamey Rootes wisely headed for the same exit door which, at this current rate, one will have to queue for soon. There is, in fact, yet another rather crucial element who has since fled from Houston - franchise record holder in sacks and forced fumbles, J.J Watt. At 31 years of age, there is still much to give for the defensive end who has since travelled West to play in Arizona. Following a rather embarrassing defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, Watt gave a passionate, commanding speech in front of the press, calling out his underperforming colleagues. As the Texans finished the recently passed season with a 4-12 record, it shows no progression, only regression. For a franchise which made the play offs six times in the previous decade, the correct formula is evidently non-existent. With the idea of play offs as far away in the distant horizon as almost possible, there appears no better time to leave the city. After all, he certainly is not the only one.
So now, a key component of their offense, and now defence, will have to be filled. How will this be achieved? Most definitely not through the draft, as they surrendered their first-round picks of 2020 and 2021 to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills, with the latter now a member of the free agent contingency. The Texans’ dilemma is rife, and is far from a quick fix. Watson remains in communication with a handful of franchises who, unsurprisingly, would pay a fine price for a quarterback who has much of his career ahead of him.
It is reported that the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos lead the race for the Georgia native. The result of this will, unquestionably, be announced in the coming weeks, if not days but, for the Texans, the constant issues continue to make this a developing story. A relatively fresh front office has much to resolve ahead of the 2021 season that will see a strengthened AFC South division with the expected arrival of Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. The crucial next stage, then, is not to think about replacing Watson, but rather to make sure no one else chooses to evacuate via the Houston back door.
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