In what has already been a busy offseason for the Houston Texans, they have capped things off by agreeing to terms on a contract extension with their franchise quarterback. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Deshaun Watson will sign a four-year, $160 million extension with the Texans. Watson still had two more seasons remaining on his rookie deal and is now tied to Houston for the next six years.
Next monster QB deal is in: QB Deshaun Watson and Texans are finalizing their long-term agreement that now is expected to be completed today, sources tell ESPN.
Watson had two years remaining on his deal. Now he and Houston will be tied together for the next half decade, plus.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2020
Deshaun Watson is signing a 4-year, $160 million extension today, per source. https://t.co/Loqz6I3Nf8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2020
Outside of Patrick Mahomes’ 12-year deal, Deshaun Watson will now receive the largest contract in NFL history. At just 24 years old, Watson has already solidified himself as one of the premier signal-callers in the NFL and will now get compensated accordingly.
In three NFL seasons, Watson has already posted two Pro Bowl seasons after missing nine games his rookie year. Watson led the Texans to the AFC Divisional Playoffs last season following a Wildcard victory over the Buffalo Bills. After getting out to a 24-0 lead over Mahomes and Kansas City, the Chiefs stormed back to win the game 51-31 and put an end to Houston’s season.
Noe heading into his fourth season as a pro, Watson will have to duplicate his magic with a substantially worse WR corps. Bill O’Brien and the Texans traded away top wideout DeAndre Hopkins and though they replaced him with speedster Brandin Cooks, it’s hard to duplicate the productivity of one of the NFL’s best receivers.
With Will Fuller V and Cooks operating as his top two targets, Watson and the Texans could get back to the postseason next year, but their ceiling appears capped with Hopkins no longer in the equation.
