Deshaun Watson Reportedly 'Furious' with Texans; Insiders Think He May Hold Out

The Houston Texans' 2020 season just ended, but the ongoing drama around the hiring of Nick Caserio as general manager could jeopardize Deshaun Watson's availability for the start of 2021.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported Thursday Watson was upset the Texans didn't follow through on a commitment to allow him involvement in the process. According to a new report from Schefter, his frustration is such that a holdout might be on the table:

"Watson is said to be furious at the Texans' direction, and others are as well, with some saying that there will be employees who wind up leaving the organization during the offseason.

"Watson is on vacation, and McNair said he expects to speak with the quarterback once he returns. But how that will go, if it happens, remains uncertain. Some around the league believe that Watson could opt to withhold his services this season. Watson has not commented on that option, but others insist it will be in play."

Chris Mortensen of ESPN added more context:

The internal anger may not be isolated to Watson.

"Multiple people in the Texans organization, including but not limited to [Watson], were upset with how Houston's search took a sudden and unexpected turn, hiring a man that Korn Ferry did not include on its list of candidates," per Schefter.

Houston tried and failed to hire Caserio during the 2019 offseason. To bring him in now led some to scrutinize the purpose of soliciting recommendations from an outside firm in the first place.

Watson is signed through 2025 after finalizing a four-year, $156 million extension, and the overarching question is whether the Texans would actually trade an elite quarterback who's in the prime of his career.

Watson's extension could at least strengthen his resolve in terms of a possible holdout because he knows that money will be waiting for him down the line if he misses any time.

Caserio has a few months to win over the three-time Pro Bowler and convince him staying in Houston is the best route. The problem there is that Caserio represents a big source of Watson's consternation, so it could be a case of guilt by association.

Cooler heads may prevail because there's a lot of time between now and the start of the 2021 regular season. That the situation has already reached this point is an indictment of the Texans nonetheless.