Alabama's Mac Jones Meets with Texans Amid Deshaun Watson Trade Rumors

With Deshaun Watson reportedly making it clear he wants to play for a new team in 2021, the Houston Texans are doing their due diligence with quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft. 

Per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread, Alabama star Mac Jones said he met with members of the Texans organization after Thursday's Senior Bowl practice.

"They were a good group of scouts. It's a big football state and I grew up watching a lot of Jags-Texans games," he said. "It's a good organization with a really good quarterback. ... It was fun to see how different tables act. (Clubs at) some tables, people ask a lot of hard questions, and some don't."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that Watson officially requested a trade from the Texans "weeks ago," and their hiring of head coach David Culley has no impact on his desire to leave the organization. 

Just because Watson has requested a trade doesn't mean the Texans have to move him, but it could make an already difficult situation even worse if he is still on the team when training camp opens. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Watson was "extremely unhappy with the organization after owner Cal McNair informed him he would be involved in the GM and coach hiring process and provide feedback...but then did neither in the hire of GM Nick Caserio, sources say."

Trading Watson would shape the direction of Houston's franchise in the short- and long-term. The team would need to find a new starting quarterback, but it doesn't currently have a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. 

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. projects Jones to go No. 15 overall to the New England Patriots in his first mock draft released this week.  

Jones, 22, finished third in Heisman voting after throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with a 77.4 completion percentage to help the Crimson Tide win the College Football Playoff Championship.