Clay Talks To Texans Beat Writer John McClain, Who Predicts Tyrod Taylor Will Be Starting QB
At this point, you've heard about the Deshaun Watson situation. He's dealing with multiple lawsuits from women accusing him of sexual assault, and that has created uncertainty about his future in the NFL.
Watson's future as a member of the Houston Texans was in doubt regardless though.
Even if those pending lawsuits didn't exist, the star quarterback has already demanded a trade out of Houston. Many have said that it's a matter of when -- not if -- Watson gets dealt. That means the Texans are in need of a new starter.
John McClain joined OutKick founder Clay Travis on his radio show this morning to discuss Watson. He has covered the NFL for the Houston Chronicle for 45 years now, so he's as much into the loop as anyone.
When Clay asked McClain to predict what the future holds for Houston at quarterback, the answer included Tyrod Taylor, who recently signed a one-year deal with the team worth up to $12.5 million.
"Tyrod will be their starting quarterback, barring injury," McClain said. "But in his last two jobs in Cleveland and the Chargers last season, he got hurt early in the season and No. 1 picks have taken over."
McClain went on to say that he originally viewed the Taylor signing as Houston signaling a new franchise quarterback would be in the fold, but he no longer believes that's the case. With Watson not garnering the trade interest, the chances of Houston getting a top-10 pick this year are slim, so that makes sense.
"I don't think Watson will be on the team," McClain continued. "He's demanded to be traded, he's said that he will not play here under any circumstances. The only way I could see him reporting by the first game is if he's spent so many millions reaching a settlement.
"His base salary is $10.5 million and he got a $27 million signing bonus last year in that $156 million extension that kicks in 2022. But if he's spent so much money, he couldn't afford to hold out and lose millions, which he has threatened to do."
It's an excellent point from McClain, who wrote about the situation in depth at Texas Sports Nation.
This is a wild situation unfolding in Houston. It was already crazy with Watson demanding a trade, but what happens now? The options are limited for everyone involved, and it's going to have to be a waiting game.
In the meantime, Watson probably needs to be collecting every penny he can get his hands on.
You can listen to the entire interview with McClain from this morning's OutKick the Coveragehere.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.