Deshaun Watson seems interested in talk of Antonio Brown to the Texans

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Receiver Antonio Brown continues to be linked to plenty of teams but employed by none of them. At a time when the team that could be the most interested in Brown (the Seahawks) has yet to make a move, another possibility could be emerging.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has responded to a Thursday tweet from former NFL receiver Chad Johnson suggesting Brown to Houston by posting a meme of Drake with the window down in his limo, which per the cool kids in the class means Watson is interested.

Whether coach/G.M. Bill O’Brien is interested becomes a different question. Although the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals, Houston traded for Brandin Cooks — and they also have Will Fuller and Kenny Stills.

Still, Brown is considered to be one of the top receivers in the game, even if he’s not in the game. The biggest impediment to Brown being in the game are three different off-field issues for which the league is still investigating him. As explained during Thursday’s #PFTPM (clip embedded), the league has taken too long to resolve the situation arising from last September’s lawsuit filed against Brown. Whatever the final decision on that and other issues (including his recent no-contest plea to felony charges arising from an altercation with the driver of a moving truck), Brown should get credit for 14 games of de facto unpaid suspension in 2019, when the possibility that Brown would be placed on the Commissioner Exempt list kept interested teams from employing Brown.

None of that matters, however, because the NFL controls the timeline and the outcome. Until the league rules on his status, teams likely will continue to wait — unless and until a team decides to force the league’s hand, like the Saints seemed to be interested in doing late last season.

28 responses to “Deshaun Watson seems interested in talk of Antonio Brown to the Texans

  1. O’Brian will be gone by the end of the year. Watson is now running the team. Hello, AB.

  2. First of all, AB has only one person to blame–himself. Secondly, why should the NFL do anything at this point? He’s not currently a member of the league. Once he’s a member of the league, then it will be time to do something. If AB doesn’t like the situation he’s in, he can look in the mirror and reflect on all he’s done the last twelve months and figure out that he made the mess he’s in. After his tirade against the police I’m surprised anyone is even talking about this clown.

  3. i think the word is out to all teams. nobody signs him until all the off the field issues are resolved .

  4. Don’t do it. You would be better off passing the ball and running down field and catching it yourself.

  5. It seems most of the guys are more supportive of Antonio Brown than they are of Drew Brees. What a great league. Happy 4th to all.

  6. Any team that signs him shouldn’t give him a signing bonus. Its only going to cost them money on the cap. The league is waiting for a team to sign him to suspend him.

  7. Sign of the times. To afraid to enforce rules against certain people. Double standards will lead to the demise of the NFL.

  8. This is sad that one of the best receivers in the NFL is not playing. Yes it’s mostly of his own doing. The NFL has all the control due to the league rules. The NFL could see non criminal rape allegations against Brown as a money grab. Antonio Brown should be in therapy and his representatives asking for NFL forgiveness, with Doctor reports on Brown’s mental health. Brown should get time served consideration on a possible suspension but really something went wrong with Brown’s mental health and his representatives should be promoting that to the league.

  9. No mas. I just can’t stand any more news about Antonio Brown and where he might play. He’s now on the wrong side of 30, facing a suspension. It’s over.

  10. I don’t think AB is the best choice to bring in to a locker room that is likely to be emotionally on edge as the team struggles this year.

  11. Brown has absolutely no one to blame but himself, he is NOT a victim.

  12. Move on from this nut case. Give someone else a chance that truly wants to play.

  13. Not a cold chance in hell he signs in Houston. I can see the corona virus magically disappearing before this signing.

  14. Good lord. You think Brown and O’Brien will get along? That will be worse than Brown and Mayock.

  15. It’s a football team, not a church choir. No one should look to football players as role models for anything other than playing football. Free AB.

  16. Given they gave away Watson’s best receiver, I don’t blame him!!!!

  17. Watson, Tunsil, Hopkins, Watt, Clowney (never mind well compensated guys like Mercilus, McKinney and Joseph).
    How many $20M, $30M, etc guys can a team afford in a capped league? And which ones do you keep. If you keep too many of them, you have to gut the rest of your team and you can kiss trying to win in January and February goodbye.
    From the commentary, it’s obvious that many have never been responsible for a business.
    The question with Hopkins was NEVER about whether he’s was good/great…it was about where do the Texans put their financial resources in a capped league.
    The Texans have decided to put them at QB, OL, DL and ideally in the DBfield once appropriate talent is found. But specifically not pay a WR “top 5” money. Its that simple.
    In the last 10 years of the Super Bowl (20 teams), only one team had a top 5 paid WR at the time the game was played (Tyreke Hill now qualifies but was not when the Chiefs won) and that was Julio Jones.
    A variety of reasons for this but the bottom line is aside from an anomaly (Mahomes under rookie contract, can afford Hill right now, but wait 1-2 yrs once Mahomes gets his money…Chiefs either keep Hill and blow up the rest of the team or they have to do something with Hill’s contract (and what about paying Kelce, Dee Ford, etc)) smart teams build from the inside out (OL & DL), get a franchise QB if they can and build a solid defensive backfield.
    On every offensive play, there are normally 6 players eligible to catch a pass out of the 11…ergo, if versatility is a premium, you don’t over pay at the WR position.
    Sure, Hopkins is great on beating up teams in the middle of October but if you’re paying him too much where you can’t afford other quality WRs, what do you think happens in January when you play teams like the Chiefs, Patriots, etc? They take Hopkins away from you.
    If the goal is winning division titles, sure, keep Hopkins and his top 5 contract. If you want to try and win titles, and if you’re smart, and objective, not emotional…it’s not about how good Hopkins is…it’s about what makes sense…and it didn’t make sense to keep paying Hopkins which means other more championship centric position groups would suffer.
    O’Brien made the right move by moving on from Hopkins…heck, the Texans had Hopkins for 6-7 years and didn’t win anything besides division titles with him….and if Einstein believes the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result….good enough for me.
    The only thing O’Brien can be questioned about here is with regards to timing and return on the trade….I happened to think he made the right decision…given every day of delay meant another day in not getting the team built to win in January not October.

    As for AB….if his head is on reasonably straight, he’d make the Texans WR group almost impossible to cover….esp as O’Brien has built a very deep and talented TE group too….but AB comes at amazingly high risk…..personally, I’d wait….

  18. be afraid texans fans, be VERY afraid. Antonio brown is a mentally unsound man with almost super human power and a real Dr. Jeckel – Mr. Hyde complex. If he loses control around DeShaun Watson…well you may need to find another QB if that happens…

  19. Brown has never been the same person since taking that vicious hit from Vontaze Burfict. This is the only explanation for his complete transformation from good guy and teammate to locker room cancer, almost overnight.

  20. Odd how not one player has spoke up against his return yet run another player down for their belief. Does anyone see the hypocrisy of what is and what is not a concern

  21. AB has no business in the league. He made this decision himself after the stunt he pulled in Oakland. He also got canned from the Pats for (alleged) sexual crimes.

    He needs to start managing the money he’s made, because the gravy train left without him.

  22. Not a snow ball in hell chance they him in. Texans do not bring guys with baggage. They are one of the lowest in off field arrests.

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