The Texans thought they were done with Deshaun Watson after trading him to the Browns last year, but the quarterback continues to haunt them.
The league fined the Texans their fifth-round draft selection this year and fined them $175,000 for a salary cap reporting violation.
The Texans admitted in a statement that they provided Watson with $26,777 in membership compensation for use of an off-site athletic facility in 2020 during the pandemic. The Collective Bargaining Agreement requires teams to report any player compensation or benefit.
The team, though, argued it gained no advantage from the arrangement.
“During the 2020 league year and while its facilities were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club absorbed $26,777 in costs for player benefits for the use of alternate athletic facilities, which it understands should have been charged instead to player salaries,” the Texans said in a statement. “The club has fully cooperated with the league in its investigation of these matters and maintains that it had no intention to circumvent any salary cap rules or gain any sort of competitive advantage. While we disagree with the league’s ruling, we will accept the imposed discipline and move forward.”