Texans owner Bob McNair made waves during the 2017 season with his comment about inmates running the prison. The team could make waves during free agency, if there’s any merit to a perception that’s making the rounds in the agents community.
“I spoke with two NFL agents this week who said word is the Texans aren’t interested in any players who participated in pregame kneel-downs in protest of police brutality,” writes Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle.
It’s one thing for the Texans not being interested in players who protested. It’s quite another for free agents to be interested in the Texans, given the perception that McNair has animosity toward players who have taken a stand. While money tends to smooth over plenty of rough spots, if two teams are offering the same cash and opportunity, will a free agent choose the Texans or the other team?
Ultimately, the Texans may have to pay more than other teams to get free agents to choose to join the team. And, ultimately, players like Eric Reid may have a hard time finding significant interest in Houston or elsewhere.
After all, multiple teams supposedly regard Teddy Bridgewater as a potential starter, despite the fact that a serious knee injury has kept him on the shelf for two years. And Colin Kaepernick still can’t get a spot on a 90-man offseason roster.