Texans receiver Kenny Stills, an NFL player who will always say and do what he believes regardless of the consequences, has made his views clear regarding the team’s decision to fire P.R. director Amy Palcic.
Stills doesn’t like it.
Although not available to reporters on Wednesday -- one of the realities of life in COVID-19 for NFL teams -- Stills used Twitter to express himself.
He affirmatively has shared his belief that Palcic “is great,” and he has clicked the “like” button on various tweets sharply critical of the team’s decision.
Stills’ “likes” include this tweet, from Charean Williams of PFT: “The Texans have turned into one of the worst organizations in football since Bob McNair died. @amypalcic was the best. She certainly was too good for what the Texans deserve.”
That’s a strong indictment of the team, endorsed by Stills. And if Palcic somehow didn’t fit the culture that someone (probably Jack Easterby) is trying to create, Stills doesn’t want to fit that culture.
It’s too late for the Texans to trade Stills, who is in the final year of his contract. If they release him and he clears waivers, Stills can collect the balance of his $6.975 million salary as termination pay. The Texans also would lose the opportunity to allow Stills to leave as a free agent, securing consideration for compensatory draft picks in 2022.
Stills has only 10 catches for 138 yards in 2020. The question becomes whether Easterby, the interim G.M. despite having few if any actual qualifications for that role, becomes sufficiently agitated with Stills to waive him.
That could be precisely what Stills wants.