After Bill O'Brien was formally introduced as the new head coach of the Houston Texans today, Bob McNair chatted with the media. Someone presumably asked him about the possibility of the Texans trading the top pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, and McNair responded as follows:
"Maybe we'll trade down and still get a quarterback that can do the job and get an outstanding defensive player," McNair said Friday. "It's an exciting time. Everything's a moving target. Lot of different pieces."
Rick Smith remarked:
"I don't think you take a particular position just because you need a particular position at any point in the draft, especially the first pick," Texans general manager Rick Smith said. "So we'll rank it, we'll value it, and we'll make good choices if the opportunity presents itself to move back because it is a very valuable pick, and we'll entertain those as well."
This seems to have gotten Texans fans talking, and I'm not quite sure why (aside from the fact that it's January, and there's not much to talk about if you don't have a rooting interest in the playoffs). What else do you expect the Texans to publicly say? Especially four months ahead of the draft? Every option is, and should be, on the table. If some team makes the Texans a Godfather-type offer for the first overall pick, they'd be fools to close off the possibility of taking it. Time is on the side of the Texans, and there's no reason to dismiss any possibility at this point.
Yes, the Texans could trade the first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft. As McNair said, everything is in play. This does not mean the Texans are going to trade the first pick of the draft.
So continue bedazzling that homemade steel blue #5 Teddy Bridgewater jersey, friends. It's not obsolete yet.