Deshaun Watson responds to Antonio Brown to the Houston Texans rumors.

The Houston Texans have a wide receiver problem, one Antonio Brown can definitely fix.

Houston has one arguably the five best quarterbacks in the NFL in Deshaun Watson. The former first-round pick, who believes he should have won not one, but two Heisman Trophies while at Clemson, has all the talent in the world, but understands firmly football is a team sport and he can’t do it alone.

Seeing his favorite receiver target and Clemson brother DeAndre Hopkins be traded for running back David Johnson’s bad contract had to be especially painful for him. Fortunately, there does seem to be a No. 1 receiver readily available on the open market this late into the offseason in Brown.

NFL insiders like Michael Lombardi and J.T. the Brick alluded that Brown might join his former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His arrival on the Florida Gulf Coast would make the Buccaneers NFC favorites. The same thing would apply to the Seattle Seahawks, as Brown was seen working out with Russell Wilson earlier this week.

So when Cincinnati Bengals legendary wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson tweeted late Thursday night that Brown should go to the Texans, you better believe Watson responded with a photo Drake sitting in limousine with the window rolled down to let us all know what’s up.

A Deshaun Watson to Antonio Brown connection means another AFC South title.

Though playing in AFC Championship games has never been their thing, the Texans are elite at winning the AFC South of late. Outside of the incredible one-year wonder that was the 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston has won the AFC South every other season since 2015 under head coach Bill O’Brien. If Brown becomes Watson’s new No. 1, it’s a three-peat in H-Town this fall.

Given the way everything played out for Brown in his 2019 year from hell, the Texans don’t have to pay the free agent wide receiver out the wazoo to come to Gulf Coast Texas. He’d be the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver. Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller can never stay healthy, Randall Cobb is a high-end No. 3 at this point and Kenny Stills got a really sweet leg tattoo this offseason.

Johnson may be washed as a runner, but he is an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield. Houston has plenty of talent on defense. Plus, the Texans’ two biggest contenders for AFC South supremacy this season in the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans haven’t won the division since 2008 and 2014, respectively. One more high-end move gets Houston back in front here.

There’s a reason people view Watson among the three young star quarterbacks in the AFC with Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. These three signal-callers all are their own version of special. The difference is Jackson and Mahomes play for slightly better run organizations. Houston is fine, but the Texans aren’t the gold standard.

By adding Brown to the receiving corps, Houston will host yet another home playoff game.

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If Jamal Adams is traded to the Houston Texans, here’s what to expect.

Find your passion, just like Bill O’Brien has for trading away his best players.

The Houston Texans head coach and de facto general manager has already sent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. O’Brien is wilder than the wildest wildcatter when it comes to striking a deal. Could he have it in him to orchestrate a trade for disgruntled New York Jets safety Jamal Adams?

Adams announced on Thursday afternoon his wishes to be traded from Gang Green. In three years with the Jets, Adams has made two trips to the Pro Bowl, earning First-Team All-Pro status last season. However, the Jets have been one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL for the last decade and haven’t sniffed the playoffs since Mark Sanchez was their starting quarterback.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted out a list of seven teams Adams would prefer to be traded to. They are all contending teams, as Adams has absolutely no interest playing for a losing organization any more. The Dallas-Fort Worth native has the Texans listed because a return home to the Lone Star State would be nice, as would winning the AFC South four out of five years.

So do the Texans have it in the cards to pull off a blockbuster trade for Adams? Do they have the pieces in place to entice Jets general manager Joe Douglas to send his team’s best player Houston’s way? Let’s find out how the Texans could end up with Adams in their defensive backfield heading into the 2020 NFL season.

Here is what a Jamal Adams trade to the Houston Texans could look like.

If the Jets covet a 2021 first-round pick, the Texans are the last team to call for that sort of thing. That’s because the Texans’ first-round pick next spring belongs to the Miami Dolphins stemming from the Laremy Tunsil trade. Tunsil seems to finally be tapping into the hype surrounding him coming out of Ole Miss. One day soon, we’ll forget he wore a gas mask as a student in Oxford.

Could O’Brien channel his inner Les Snead/Ted Stepien and completely punt on the idea of the Texans ever having a first-round pick again? I mean, he does want to win and a future pick doesn’t help a head coach win in the present, which is why having your head coach as your general manager hardly ever works out. Only Bill Belichick has the discipline to pull both roles off well.

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So landing Adams would take at least a 2022 first-round pick, but the Jets will want something else in return. O’Brien could give the Jets more picks than Douglas would ever know what to do with. That could suffice Douglas’ need for fair compensation for Adams, but what about the players, man? Who could go from red, white and blue to green and white in one offseason trade?

The Jets would probably want to target someone in the front-seven of the Texans defense. Guys like Benardrick McKinney or Whitney Mercilus plus a pick could be what the Jets are looking for. Good luck trying to get the Texans to part ways with J.J. Watt because that’s not ever happening. Maybe a wide receiver like Kenny Stills or Will Fuller could go the Jets’ way in a blockbuster deal?

Ultimately, the Texans are an interesting trade partner for the Jets in the Adams sweepstakes because O’Brien is the one who has final say in the Houston organization. If he gave up that much for Tunsil, could you imagine what he’d give up for a safety with only two years left on his rookie deal? Being in the AFC doesn’t help the Jets, but the Texans being the Texans sure does.

Don’t count on Adams going to the Jets, but don’t be shocked if we get another O’Brien deal done.

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Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans players tested positive for COVID-19.

The coronavirus has now impacted both NFL franchises headquartered in the state of Texas.

According to The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, “Several Cowboys players and several Texans players have tested positive for COVID-19 recently…None of the players are believed to have been in their team facilities. The teams followed proper health protocols.”

Team facilities have begun opening up across the country. Thus, the level of coronavirus testing has amped up as well. Texas was one of the states that was looser on their shelter-in-place restrictions as some states. Texas also has a massive population, a huge land area and deals with incredibly hot weather in the summer. It’s no surprise the conservative state opened up like it did.

There were positive COVID-19 tests from Cowboys and Texans players.

While the positive tests aren’t great, because the players who did test positive will now have to self-quarantine for the next two weeks, these professional athletes could be asymptomatic, as this virus is increasingly more commonplace than we even imagined. It’s also a good thing these positive tests came in the middle of June and not in the heart of the 2020 NFL regular season.

Most players’ names have not been identified. However, one name has been leaked to Rapoport and that would be Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott. Per Rapoport, “Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott is one of the players who has tested positive for the Coronavirus, his agent Rocky Arceneaux confirmed to me. Arceneaux said Elliott is feeling good.”

While Elliott coming down with the virus stinks, there is good news to be had because the players who tested positive had not been in the team facility, meaning the Cowboys and Houston Texans‘ headquarters are have not been contaminated up to this point.

Surely, the Cowboys and the Texans won’t be the only NFL franchises with “several” positive coronavirus tests. What will be interesting is seeing if any players test positive for having the antibody for the virus. The quicker we can get a vaccine in place for the virus, the quicker things will get as close to normal as possible again in the country. For now, we have to manage it.

The NFL is going to do everything in its power to have a season. If it has to be played without fans present, so be it. At its core, the NFL is a fantastic television product and viewers will consume it that way. However, handling the coronavirus with great care and certain protocols will help us ensure football, and sports, will be coming back in the coming weeks and months.

Cowboys and Texans players test positive for coronavirus, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

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J.J. Watt claps back at fan who doesn’t understand why players kneel.

There is a reason J.J. Watt is the face of the Houston Texans franchise.

Even though quarterback Deshaun Watson is the better player these days, Watt remains the greatest player in the history of this NFL franchise. On Friday, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was in the news because he reportedly will kneel during the playing of the national anthem in support of his players and the Black Lives Matter movement. He’s the first coach to say this.

O’Brien will get crucified for this by bigoted football fans who refuse to understand what’s really going on here. Football is everything in Texas. It is a massive state in size and population which has mostly conservative leanings outside of the state capital of Austin. If you have any doubt on where Watt is leaning in all this, get a load of this quote tweet he sent at noon on Saturday.

In a response to a fan who doesn’t think Watt has the stones to kneel during the playing of the national anthem, Watt offered a two-pronged response: “A) don’t speak for me B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening.”

J.J. Watt will support his teammates, coach in Black Lives Matter movement.

Watt is already a five-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler during his nine-year NFL career out of Wisconsin. He has been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions. Watt has led the league in sacks twice, made the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2017. Simply put, he’s an incredible player and an even more incredible person.

Watt may not have a Super Bowl ring, but he’s already a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer six years after he does decide to hang up his spikes. Though he has had his issues physically in the last five years, Watt remains the vocal leader of the Texans and in the Houston community. Together, Watt, O’Brien and the rest of the Texans have the power to implement change.

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Houston plays its Week 1 game at the place where the Texans’ season ended ago: at Arrowhead Stadium to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. It will be a nationally-televised primetime game on a Thursday night will football fans all over the world watching. If the Texans kneel during the playing of the national anthem as a team, it’ll upset a lot of racist people.

There’s a reason Watt is football royalty in Houston, as his latest tweet is another example of that.

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Bill O’Brien said he will kneel in support of his Houston Texans players.

Bill O’Brien deserves a ton of credit today.

The Houston Texans head coach gets crushed often by the media and football fans alike for his questionable coaching and front office decisions. Though he has won the AFC South four of the last five years and is the greatest coach in franchise history, he can be seen as a bit of a running joke at times. But not today, not after what he said he plans to do in support of his players.

The Houston Chronicle’s John McClain reported on Friday afternoon, “Bill O’Brien will take a knee with players as Texans become more outspoken on race.” Though he’s not the first NFL head coach to firmly say he has his players’ back in the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a huge, huge, huge action that will go a long way towards fixing things in this country. Good job by you, Coach!

Bill O’Brien has his players’ backs and will kneel with them in protest.

Keep in mind the organization he plays for and the state in which this football team resides. Late Texans owner Bob McNair said only a few years, “we can’t have the inmates running the prison.” Though he would admit to regretting saying that before he passed, it’s a quote we’re never going to forget. Now his son Cal McNair was seen attending George Floyd’s service. Things are changing.

As for the state of Texas, football is king. High school, college, professional, it doesn’t really matter. Houston is the biggest city in the state and the head coach of the professional football team in town taking a knee with his players will be one of the most powerful messages you’ll see in the NFL this fall.

To make things even more interesting, guess where the Texans are playing Week 1 this season? Yes, they will be at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. While Chiefs players like Patrick Mahomes and Tyrann Mathieu have been at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement, Kansas City has a reputation for being a racist town.

If O’Brien does kneel in protest in support of his Texans players in their fight for racial equality, he will be a media lightning rod. Surely, bigoted people across the country will be abhorred to see a white football coach taking a knee next to his black players while disrespecting the flag. Well, it’s not about the flag, and it never was. Just ask Drew Brees if he gets it finally.

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As much as we want to encourage and applaud O’Brien for his leadership and bravery for doing the right thing, you know some people will crucify him for this. Hopefully, other NFL coaches will be open to putting their neck on the line like O’Brien is planning on. If he does this in the NFL season opener at Arrowhead on Thursday night in primetime, there is no turning back, for all of us.

O’Brien is no stranger to criticism, but if he faces any for this, we’ve got his back on it, 100 percent.

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Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has a serious negotiating advantage.

Deshaun Watson is going to get paid.

This offseason is the first time he’s eligible for an extension, having accrued three years of NFL service. With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and television deals on the horizon, the salary cap is set to skyrocket, perhaps reaching $240 million in 2021.

Watson, 24, is a superstar quarterback. He’s also going to have his representation negotiating with Bill O’Brien.

O’Brien has been a middling coach and a truly horrendous general manager. This winter, he traded away All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick. More pertinent for Watson, though, was the monster three-year, $66 million deal with $50 million guaranteed given to left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Tunsil, while a good player, shouldn’t have demolished the market for tackles.

Watson’s rep, David Mulugheta of Athletes First, is a high-powered agent with a legion of stars in his rolodex including cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Casey Hayward, safeties Derwin James and Landon Collins, and receiver Michael Thomas.

In short, Mulugheta negotiating against O’Brien is a massive mismatch tilted in Watson’ favor.

Additionally, Watson may have the advantage of watching Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott sign their extensions with the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. With the current highs of $35 million annually (Russell Wilson) and $110 million in guarantees (Jared Goff), Mahomes will blow past those figures. Prescott may as well.

If Mahomes and Prescott do so, Mulugheta is suddenly working from a higher starting point. He’s also got more space to reach the ceiling.

To this juncture, O’Brien has shown nothing to make us believe he can handle a negotiation of moderate proportions, let alone one of the league’s biggest. If the Texans allow him to get into the proverbial ring with Mulugheta on the Watson deal, we could see eye-popping numbers even beyond what is already expected.

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If the Houston Texans want to save money, they need to sign Deshaun Watson before Patrick Mahomes

It’s only a matter of time before Patrick Mahomes signs a record-setting deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, with talk of a push toward $40 million or more per year in a new deal. Those discussions seem to be ramping up, pushing a level of urgency for the Houston Texans with Deshaun Watson and the Dallas Cowboys in their ongoing stalemate with Dak Prescott.

Mahomes could wait and see what Watson and/or Prescott gets in a multi-year deal, and his case to top both guys in average annual value is clear. The current top of the market is $35 million per year, for Russell Wilson. Mahomes and Watson could both top $40 million per year.

Right or wrong, Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien has been aggressive in his role as general manager. What was sent to the Miami Dolphins in the trade to get left tackle Laremy Tunsil put the team in a corner, but Tunsil got a three-year, $66 million contract extension ($50 million guaranteed) in late-April.

Houston Texans need to sign Deshaun Watson before Patrick Mahomes

Watson is upbeat about his contract outlook, as one might be when he’s about to cash in big.

“That’s definitely something that is not under the rug,” Watson said, via Mark Berman of FOX 26. “My main focus is just being the best teammate, best leader, best quarterback I can be and whenever that time comes with my agent and the organization, the timing is going to be right.”

When it comes down to it, with a nod to 3 or 4 being the first digit in the number for aesthetic purposes, $3 or $4 million per year in average annual value will be fairly inconsequential when Mahomes, Watson and Prescott ultimately get their new deals. It will be more about who gets a deal first, along with how the guarantees are structured and the proverbial “new money” average looks.

In any case, even if it means they beat the Chiefs to the punch on Mahomes, the Texans need to get Watson inked to a contract extension as soon as possible. Otherwise, even with Watson not in line to top what Mahomes ultimately gets, the price will rise.

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Who will have a better fantasy season in 2020: Todd Gurley or David Johnson?

Not that long ago, Todd Gurley and David Johnson were seen as the two best running backs in fantasy football. Now they are on their second teams in the league, fighting to stay relevant in an ever-evolving game. Gurley was released by the Los Angeles Rams, only to be picked up hours later by the Atlanta Falcons. Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans in a blockbuster deal.

What The Fantasy Footballers are wondering is who will be the better fantasy running back in their new location: Gurley in Atlanta or Johnson in Houston? Per usual, the guys are split on how they feel on this intriguing topic. While Andy Holloway is more of the opinion Johnson will have greater success in Houston, Jason Moore likes Gurley’s situation better in Atlanta.

Check out The Fantasy Footballers for all their advice

Holloway points out Gurley’s injury history and believes Texans head coach Bill O’Brien will make use of his investment by giving him the rock a ton. Look for Johnson to get around the same amount of carries his predecessor Carlos Hyde did in Houston last year. Let’s not forget how valuable Johnson is as a pass catcher out of the backfield either. He can have success in Houston.

Who would you rather have in fantasy: Todd Gurley or David Johnson?

Moore is more in on Gurley because he thinks there’s more tread on the tires. He’s only 25-years-old and didn’t look as washed in his eyes as Johnson did a year ago with the Arizona Cardinals. Moore also mentions the Falcons have a better offensive line than what Gurley had to work with the last year or so in Los Angeles. The Falcons do have five former first-rounders up front.

What this really comes down to is do you think Gurley will be a major upgrade over Devonta Freeman in Atlanta. Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is notorious for giving up on the run as soon as it’s not effective. He’ll pass the football for days, which does help Gurley’s fantasy value as a safety valve out of the backfield for quarterback Matt Ryan.

Because Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has to win this year to keep his job, he and Koetter will likely run Gurley into the ground on their one-year deal. O’Brien may have similar ideas in Houston, but he doesn’t have the same crashing sense of urgency as Quinn does in Atlanta, as he has greater job security with the Texans than his Falcons’ counterpart.

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The Houston Texans came into existence in 1999, and since then, they have had their fair share of elite players. Here is their Mount Rushmore.

The Houston Texans franchise was established way back in 1999, though they did not play their first NFL game until the 2002 campaign. As an expansion team, there was obviously going to be some growing pains along the way, and the organization did not make their first playoff appearance until 2011.

It did not help matters much that during the expansion draft, they selected offensive lineman Tony Boselli, who would go on to get injured and never played a snap for the organization. First-ever draft pick David Carr ran for his life for his entire Texans career, and would eventually leave the organization after only five season.

While there have been lows, there has been plenty of highs as of late, as the drafting of Clemson star quarterback Deshaun Watson has changed the fortunes of the organization. They also have one of the more dominant defensive players in the history of the game on their team in J.J. Watt, who has done as much on the field, as he has off the field for the people of Houston.

Here is the Mount Rushmore of the Houston Texans players in alphabetical order.

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The Houston Texans won the AFC South last year, but after a questionable offseason these five players have to be great in 2020.

The Houston Texans had a nice season in 2020. They won the AFC South. beat the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round and had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes in the Divisional Round before blowing it.

Bill O’Brien has had some success as the Texans’ head coach, but his work as the general manager since stepping into that role is highly questionable. He traded star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson this offseason, then circled back and ceded a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Brandin Cooks. The Hopkins trade was so bad even Madden rejected it.

Leaving aside any perception he has great security in his dual role, or he has security due to his dual role, this looks like a make-or-break year for O’Brien in Houston. On that note, these five players have to be great in 2020.

5. WR Will Fuller

The story with Fuller, the 21st overall pick in 2016, starts with injuries. He has missed 20 games over the last three seasons, and even last year’s career-highs in catches (49) and yard (670) look artificial when you take out big games in Week 5 (14 catches for 217 yards and three touchdowns) and Week 12 (seven catches for 140 yards).

With Hopkins gone, more attention can be devoted to containing Fuller as Houston’s primary deep threat. He’ll have greater opportunity coming his way for sure, with the inherent assumption he can buck the trend and be on the field for something close to 16 games.

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