As February nears its end and the start of a new league year on March 17 beckons, the Houston Texans' stance on refusing to trade superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson remains unchanged.
The Texans are carrying on with their unwillingness to talk about trading Watson with other teams, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday afternoon.
Some suitors have resorted to leaving voicemails with their respective trade offers, Pelissero added.
As Houston maintains its stance on keeping its franchise quarterback, rookie head coach David Culley recently spoke with Watson, though the two have yet to meet in person, Pelissero reported.
The meeting between Culley and Watson did nothing to change Watson's desire to be traded, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Hence, it's a stalemate with no end in sight, as Rapoport added the Texans don't see the start of free agency as a deadline for anything and the 2021 NFL Draft might not be one, either.
"Translation, this is going to last for a very, very long time," Rapoport said.
Following weeks of rumors regarding Watson's unhappiness under the Texans regime -- which includes new general manager Nick Caserio -- the Pro Bowl quarterback, who signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension in September, made it official that he wanted to be traded at the tail end of January.
Shortly thereafter, Culley was introduced as the team's new head coach and at Culley's introductory press conference, Caserio led off the presser by stating that the franchise had "zero interest" in trading away its three-time Pro Bowler.
In an already chaotic offseason in which the quarterback carousel is predicted to turn like never before, talk of a Watson swap will carry on, even if it's sent straight to voicemail.
