2020 NFL Rumor: Texans Have Begun Contract Negotiations With Deshaun Watson

As of May 11th, 2020, Laremy Tunsil has officially signed his massive three-year, $66 million contract. Now that the cornerstone left tackle is locked up, the focus must shift towards Deshaun Watson.

Sarah Barshop of ESPN reported that contract extension talks had started between your Houston Texans and the best quarterback we’ve ever had. Obviously, getting a deal done with Watson should be priority numero uno for this organization. Many folks on the internet believe that Deshaun will reset the market for quarterbacks going forward. This is a completely understandable position, and I’d vote for the Brinks truck to be air-lifted to his house right now.

However, the name of the game here is speed. Patrick Mahomes is due for a contract extension, and so is Dak Prescott. Prescott isn’t really cause for much concern in this situation, but Mahomes is looming large over the market. He will be the highest paid player in the league. He will be the highest paid player ever. To beat this impending tsunami of expenditure and save money in the long haul, the Texans should lock up Watson ASAP.

The Texans have picked up Deshaun’s fifth-year rookie option; he is due $17.3 million in 2021. This is just a formality, as an extension should still be signed sometime soon. Rumors are floating around that the total could be between $40 million and $50 million per year.

(faints)

Mahomes will top that. Prescott will wait and see if he can as well. If the Houston Texans drag their feet on signing Deshaun Watson to an extension, it will be costly. They’ll lose leverage and have to build the deal on what Patrick Mahomes receives, which will be ungodly. Just rip the band-aid off now and bask in the warm sunlight that is retaining one of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks.

What do you think about a possible extension? Approximate length? Guaranteed money? When would you imagine the team gets it done?