NFL News

[Futureshock]

Hiring cycle creates four extra third-round picks for 2021

Posted by Mike Florio on January 28, 2021, 1:25 PM EST

Getty Images

With the 2021 hiring cycle ended, extra draft picks eventually will be awarded to teams who lost minority candidates to coaching or G.M. jobs elsewhere.

Four teams will receive multiple third-round picks in the 2021 draft as a result of the hiring of Brad Holmes from the Rams to be G.M. of the Lions, Terry Fontenot from the Saints to be G.M. of the Falcons, Robert Saleh from the 49ers to be coach of the Jets and Martin Mayhew from the 49ers to be G.M. of Washington, and David Culley from the Ravens to be coach of the Texans.

The 49ers, because they lost two minority employees to promotions elsewhere, will receive an extra third-round pick in each of the next three years. The Ravens will get third-round picks in 2021 and 2022 due to the Texans’ hiring Culley, even though Culley was not a coordinator.

Some were concerned that the award of multiple third-round picks as an incentive to develop minority candidates could potentially operate as a disincentive to hire a minority coach or G.M. from another team, since that team will secure dibs on two extra players closer to the top than the bottom of the draft. Some believed that would boost opportunities for minority General Managers not currently connected to specific teams. However, candidates like Jerry Reese, Rick Smith, and Louis Riddick were not hired.

It remains to be seen whether the league will do more to promote minority hiring. The current cycle resulted in two new minority General Managers and two new minority head coaches. With the Chargers firing Anthony Lynn, the hiring of David Culley by the Texans keeps the total number of Black head coaches at three.

[Futureshock]

What will the Texans do in response to Deshaun Watson’s trade request?

Posted by Mike Florio on January 28, 2021, 11:13 AM EST

Getty Images

Now that Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has officially asked for a trade, the ball has moved to Nick Caserio’s court. What will Caserio, and thus the Texans, do?

The choices are simple: (1) say they’re not trading him and mean it; (2) say they’re not trading him and not mean it; or (3) say they’re trading him.

They’re already putting out the word that they won’t trade him. Just like the Vikings did when they declared that they have “no intent” to trade Percy Harvin. The question becomes whether the Texans mean it.

If they do, Watson needs to be ready to dig in. Apart from daily fines of $50,000 per day for skipping training camp, Watson would owe the Texans $5.4 million per year for each of the next four years for $21.6 million in unearned signing bonus money. He also would sacrifice $10.54 million in 2021 salary, if he doesn’t play.

Some believe that Watson’s hesitation to say “trade me” until early last week means that he has considered all angles and that he has decided to proceed with the formal demand for a trade only after concluding that he’s willing to not show up, no matter what it may cost.

The Texans can opt for stubbornness in order to prove a point (such as, for example, “we can’t have the inmates running the prison“). But they’d be doing that through a likely storm of offers from other teams of tangible assets that could be used to turn the page on a player who doesn’t want to be there. And it would be stupid for the Texans to not listen to the offers that undoubtedly will arrive.

The Texans surely won’t be happy that the news of a new head coach was undermined by leaks of Watson’s trade request. But the Texans should have known that reporters would quickly start asking whether the hiring of David Culley would make a difference for Deshaun Watson, and that those reporters would be told, “Nope, he’s already asked for a trade.”

Watson indeed made it known not long after the season ended that he had become disenchanted with the team. His feelings grew as his recommended head-coaching candidates (Eric Bieniemy and Robert Saleh) weren’t interviewed. Early last week, he communicated the official trade request.

Somehow, it stayed under wraps. That created the impression that the coaching hire could turn things around. And so, by not leaking it themselves at the time, the Texans stepped on a rake by hiring Culley and necessarily triggering a land rush for Watson’s reaction, when the Texans already knew the reaction would be, “He asked for a trade before they hired Culley.”

The Texans now need to formulate a plan and implement it. More specifically, they should already have a plan, and they already should be implementing it. The question is whether any private insistence that they won’t trade Watson is real, or whether it’s part of an effort to maximize the return that they get for one of the best quarterbacks in football.

[Forsh]

The Texans are idiots for not interviewing Bieniemy and Saleh at the start. Both quality head coaching options AND Watson's top choices, plus they implied his opinion mattered? They're straight up morons and deserve him leaving

[Futureshock]

The Texans are idiots for not interviewing Bieniemy and Saleh at the start. Both quality head coaching options AND Watson's top choices, plus they implied his opinion mattered? They're straight up morons and deserve him leaving

We're talking about the franchise that allowed O'Brien to be their crappy GM and mediocre Coach at the same time.

What if they traded him to Miami for their own pick back. It would be basically the LT for Watson. Dummies

They don't have to actually do anything though.

[froot loops]

Are we sure Watson isn't a diva? The Texans as a franchise have made some bad missteps the last few years but they have been fairly successful. Watson's rumored preferred destination is the Jets, a franchise not noted for competence.

[Forsh]

Watson doesn't seem like much of a diva, if at all. He's made a couple tweets of frustration, but nothing major. Don't recall him being a diva through the Hopkins trade or the O'Brien saga.

It really sounds like he just feels like he was misled or marginalized by ownership ... can't really blame the guy, assuming they actually told him his opinion mattered and would be considered. How do you rationalize them being almost the only team not to attempt to interview the 2 guys he allegedly mentioned as coaches he'd prefer ... especially considering they were 2 top candidates league wide

[BJK]

One thing bugs me about the Watson situation. His supposed gripe is with the owner, Cal McNair, and his sidekick, Jack Easterby. Well those same guys were there when Watson signed his giant contract extension this past fall. If he thinks so little of them, why did he sign that monster deal just a few months ago?

[Mainevent]

Not so sure the Cowboys won't call. Stafford and Watson offer Jerry Jones some negotiating leverage with Dak, whose proving difficult to sign. Jerry Jones bringing a Texas boy back home is right up his alley, so to speak, so no I won't be surprised a bit if that's where Matt ends up. The only reason it isn't a slam dunk is that the Cowboys aren't very good. Stafford makes them better for sure, are they a Super Bowl team in a 5-year window. Jones ego may think so which may be enough to get him to trade for Stafford and let Dak find a new home.

Maybe Mass. I think if things break bad with Dak and they need a new QB, then I assume Stafford will be in the mix. But as much lip service as Jerruh has given to Dak being their QB, my guess is rumors of them calling Detroit to ask after Stafford would make already contentious negotiations any better.

[Mainevent]

As for the trading within the division, I'm chalking that one up to ownership - the last thing they'll want to see is Stafford coming in and ripping the Lions D up 2 games a year for the next few years. I'm sure the Bears would love to have him instead of Trubisky.

[Forsh]

One thing bugs me about the Watson situation. His supposed gripe is with the owner, Cal McNair, and his sidekick, Jack Easterby. Well those same guys were there when Watson signed his giant contract extension this past fall. If he thinks so little of them, why did he sign that monster deal just a few months ago?

Maybe because they hadn't yet lied to him about being involved in the coaching search?

[froot loops]

I think trading in the division in the NFL is more.problematic than the other sports because of the 2 games every year.

[Tom]

It’s very bad optics when your former QB comes to your stadium and has a career day.

[Forsh]

It’s very bad optics when your former QB comes to your stadium and has a career day.

Yeah guess that's true, but wouldn't the optics be great if he came to your stadium and you whooped him?

Just saying I wouldn't take a clearly worse offer just to keep him out of the division. Make the Lions better

[The King]

Agree 100% with Forsh. I never understood the “don’t trade in your division/conference” bullshit either. Why would people in charge of billion dollar teams limit their market? It makes no sense.

If the Bears make the best offer, then Stafford goes to the Bears.

[Forsh]

It would be funny to see a team unwilling to trade in their division, trade the player for a worse offer to the other conference, then have the new team reroute the player back to the division for the better offer. Hope to see that one day, not with Stafford of course