Report: Tyrod Taylor, Texans Agree to 1-Year, $12.5M Contract Amid Watson Rumors

Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press

Houston Texans leadership has maintained that a disgruntled Deshaun Watson will be their quarterback in 2021, but they've added another signal-caller to the group just in case.  

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Texans reached an agreement with Tyrod Taylor to bring the former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback to Texas on a one-year, $12.5 million deal.

Longtime backup A.J. McCarron, who has appeared in four games through two seasons in Houston, is an unrestricted free agent. 

Taylor has played the role of starter and backup throughout his 10 years in the league. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015, his first of three seasons as the starter for the Buffalo Bills, but appeared in 12 games over the next two seasons. 

In 2020, he was set to take over under center for the Chargers when Philip Rivers moved on to the Indianapolis Colts, but he suffered a punctured lung before Week 2 following a mishap with an injection that was going to treat his cracked ribs from Week 1. His absence paved the way for rookie Justin Herbert to start, and the Chargers never looked back. 

Herbert threw for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns as the Chargers went 7-9, and he earned the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for his efforts. 

Watson signed a four-year, $156 million extension ahead of the 2020 season and is under contract with the Texans through 2025, though he told new head coach David Culley that he "has no intention of suiting up for the team ever again," according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

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His issue with the team apparently stems from the process in its decision to hire longtime New England Patriots executive Nick Caserio as general manager, per Graziano. 

If Watson remains in Houston, there's virtually no chance Taylor will challenge the 2020 league leader in passing yards (4,823) for the starting job. But if he does get his wish to move on—a request that was granted for defensive end J.J. Watt—he could return to the starting ranks again.