With QB CARSON WENTZ sent to Indianapolis – there were no franchise QBs drafted in the first round between 2009 and 2016 – at least for the franchise that drafted them.  Field Yates of ESPN.com sent out the original tweet and Jake Matherson audited him:

@FieldYates

And with the trade of Carson Wentz, there will now not be a single QB drafted in the first round from 2009-2016 that is still with his original team.

@Jake_ Matherson

2009:

Stafford (Rams)

Sanchez (lol)

Freeman (retired)

2010:

Bradford (retired)

Tebow (lol)

2011:

Newton (Patriots)

Locker (retired)

Gabbert (backup for Bucs)

Ponder (lol)

2012:

Luck (retired)

RG3 (backup for Ravens)

Tannehill (Titans)

Weeden (retired)

2013:

Manuel (retired)

2014:

Bortles (backup for Broncos)

Manziel (lol)

Bridgewater (Panthers)

2015:

Winston (backup for Saints)

Mariota (backup for Raiders)

2016:

Goff (Lions)

Wentz (Colts)

Lynch (lol)

You could probably make an argument that Stafford, with 12 years in Detroit, was a franchise QB.  And CAM NEWTON has a 9-year run with an MVP.  Luck was just fine until he gave it up.

DEREK CARR, DAK PRESCOTT and RUSSELL WILSON have some franchise QB qualities from outside the first round.

The Draft in 2017 gave us Franchise QB PATRICK MAHOMES, DESHAUN WATSON (maybe someone else’s franchise QB) and MITCHELL TRUBISKY.

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

WR ALLEN ROBINSON implies that the Bears have not made a serious effort to negotiate a long term deal, that they are just shuffling him off to a franchise tag.  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

Allen Robinson has largely remained quiet on his outstanding contract issue with the Bears, but with a decision deadline looming, time is running out on determining the star receiver’s future.

Robinson is likely headed directly toward a franchise tag from the Bears, who haven’t made much progress, if any, on a long-term deal with their best receiver. One would be hard-pressed to find a player who is happy about receiving the tag, and while Robinson is rare in that he’s stayed mum on the topic, he’s not about to silently take the tag when he knows he’s deserving of a better deal. And like most players, Robinson despises how it affects the narrative surrounding his contract status, and the opinion of fans about whom he cares deeply.

“It would be like if I told somebody, ‘You are qualified for this job. And this is what the other people at that job are making. But you can’t make that,'” Robinson told Tyler Dunne of Go Long. “Nobody in America would even do that. You see people go from job to job on an everyday basis in America. They get a job, they fill out another resume because, now, they have the experience. They go from company to company to company, at the same time, increasing their salaries. But for players, when you get in that situation where you’re even up for a contract, it’s almost a lose-lose between the fans and — for a lot of players, not just myself — even the organization and teammates.

“The narrative of the story is so muddied up for no reason at all, when players just want what their value is.”

Robinson’s value should land him among the top receivers in the NFL right now. The wideout finished ninth in receiving yards in 2020 with 1,250, and 14th with 1,147 yards in 2019. Between those two seasons, he’s caught 13 touchdown passes while working with a revolving cast of quarterbacks.

He’s been an oasis in a receiving desert for the Bears, who don’t appear to be ready to drink the water, let alone be led to it. That leaves Robinson to only consider one of two outcomes: Remain in Chicago on a long-term deal, or on the franchise tag, with the latter being even more unlikely than the former. He hasn’t quite closed the door on remaining a Bear, playing for a city he’s repeatedly said he loves very much.

“My personal opinion, if something could possibly work? Yes,” Robinson told Dunne. “I’m not opposed to being back in Chicago by any means. I’ve even expressed that over the last couple of years — wanting to be the all-time leading receiver in Chicago which, I believe, I’m under 2,000 yards away from that.

“With all that being said, unfortunately we’ve come to what seems to be a fork in the road. But not even a fork. We haven’t even been given a viable option to be able to do those things that we want to do without sacrificing a ridiculous amount pretty much for the rest of my career.”

Robinson is bent on cashing in because he’s already been robbed of such an opportunity once thanks to a torn ACL suffered near the end of the 2017 season, ending a contract year in disaster and costing him millions. He’s not about to have it happen to him twice, bringing additional sense to his disdain for playing under the tag.

If he ends up tagged, which still remains as the most likely outcome, Robinson isn’t afraid of joining the wave of players who are trying or have successfully tried to force their way out of an undesirable situation, telling Dunne forcing a trade is “definitely an option.”

It sounds as if a reconciliation isn’t ahead for Robinson and the Bears. The fork — or whatever Robinson sees it as at this point — is just around the corner.

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA

The Colts never offered the Eagles a pair of second-round picks for QB CARSON WENTZ.

The Bears, said by leaks, to be closing in on a deal for Wentz, never even made an offer.

This from Sam Robinson of ProFootballRumors.com:

One of the two known Carson Wentz suitors during this trade saga, the Bears do not appear to have presented legitimate competition to the Colts for the former Eagles quarterback.

The Bears did discuss Wentz with the Eagles, but Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweets the team did not make an offer for the former No. 2 overall pick. Chicago backed out of the trade talks recently, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The Colts concluded the race by sending a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-rounder to the Eagles to land Frank Reich‘s former pupil.

Regardless of the Bears’ finishing position in the respective sweepstakes for Wentz and Matthew Stafford, they remain in search of a quarterback. Chicago does have a first-round pick for the first time since the 2018 draft, but thanks to the team’s late-season resurgence, that selection sits at No. 20 overall.

The Colts, who pick 21st, secured Wentz and will not be in the market for a major trade-up maneuver come April. Although other QBs may well be available for trade in this action-packed offseason, the Bears will be connected to a first-round trade-up going into a crucial year for the Ryan Pace–Matt Nagy regime. Nick Foles remains under Bears control for the 2021 season, on an easily manageable salary ($4MM), but the team will almost certainly bring in a starter-caliber passer via trade, free agency or the draft.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com defends the trade from the Eagles viewpoint.

The Eagles made a series of mistakes with Carson Wentz. They ultimately avoided another mistake by cutting their losses when they could.

Wentz wanted out, and the Eagles didn’t want to force him to stay. So they found a way to unload a bad contract that pays out more than $40 million guaranteed over the next two years. Unlike other teams that have had to dump bad quarterback contracts, the Eagles picked up draft assets.

A third-round pick in 2021 and a second-rounder in 2022 that can become a first-rounder is hardly a Herschel Walker package. But it’s far better than giving up a second-round pick to unload Brock Osweiler (like the Texans did in 2017) or a first-round pick to dump Jared Goff (like some think the Rams will do, as a practical matter, in 2021).

The Colts always were the only team that made sense. They need a quarterback, badly. They have a head coach who knows Wentz well. If anyone can get Wentz back to who he was in 2017, it’s Frank Reich.

The Eagles could have gotten more if even one more team had real interest in Wentz. But no one did, in large part because Wentz likely was locked onto the notion of a reunion with Reich.

So now the Eagles can turn the page on trading up to draft Wentz and picking Wentz over Nick Foles and paying Wentz, moving on with a new coach and a new quarterback. The question becomes whether they’ll add another quarterback with Jalen Hurts, whether through the draft or otherwise. Maybe Nick Foles will still return for a third stint with the team.

Regardless, the Eagles found a way to turn a negative into a positive. Where it goes from here remains to be seen. On one hand, the Eagles have every reason to root for the Colts to do well, since that could upgrade the 2022 pick to a first-rounder. On the other hand, the Eagles have every reason to root for Wentz to show that last year’s regression wasn’t an aberration.

Maybe one of the reasons that Wentz had such a limited market was that teams heard what Adam Schefter heard. Florio again:

The Carson Wentz trade capped a year of extreme dysfunction for the Eagles. Appearing Friday on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, Adam Schefter of ESPN provided a glimpse into how dysfunctional it was.

Schefter said that coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz didn’t talk “for weeks on end.” Schefter estimated that they didn’t communicated for “eight, nine, ten weeks.”

That’s an amazing fact, if true. How can a team function at the most important position on the field if the quarterback isn’t speaking to the coach?

Wentz started through Week 13 before being benched for Jalen Hurts; thus, if Wentz and Pederson weren’t speaking for eight weeks or longer, some of that period of radio silence would have happened during Wentz’s time as the starter. Surely, however, it doesn’t mean that there was no communication of any kind between coach and quarterback. The photo attached to this item, for example, comes from the November 30 game between the Eagles and the Seahawks. While it’s possible they decided to stand silently next to each other, chances are that they were talking at the time the photo was taken.

Regardless of where, when, and how they weren’t talking, both parties deserve blame for the outcome. Adults who are behaving like adults don’t behave that way. Regardless of who started it, someone needed to finish it — short of Pederson being fired and Wentz being traded.

The problem apparently started when the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts. Wentz apparently never got over that. Still, something more had to happen for Pederson to become the focal point of the acrimony.

The Colts surely believe they won’t end up in the same place with Wentz. As long as things go well, that may be the case. If things go poorly (or if the Colts draft a quarterback in a round higher than, say, four), Wentz could decide to slip into silent-treatment mode, again.

– – –

With Wentz gone, QB JALEN HURTS will still have competition for the starting job.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Eagles’ decision to trade quarterback Carson Wentz to the Colts paves the way for Jalen Hurts to become the starter in 2021, just as he was at the end of the 2020 season. But the job isn’t being handed to Hurts.

Instead, the Eagles plan to bring in competition for Hurts, according to ESPN.

That makes sense for new head coach Nick Sirianni, who will want to see Hurts up close before giving him the job. Hurts was better than Wentz last year, but he wasn’t so great that giving him the starting job is a slam dunk.

The Eagles have the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and selecting a quarterback can’t be ruled out. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence won’t be available, but if the Eagles want a quarterback like BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, it’s possible they could get him at No. 6.

More likely, however, the Eagles will go in another direction in the draft, and Hurts will get his chance as the franchise quarterback.

But Martin Frank of Delaware OnLine thinks drafting a QB at #6 is in the offing:

The easy part for the Eagles was trading Carson Wentz.

The hard part will be deciding what to do next at quarterback, beginning with the possibility of drafting one with their No. 6 pick in the NFL draft on April 29.

That might seem ludicrous considering the Eagles used a second-round draft pick just last spring on Jalen Hurts, who ended up replacing Wentz for the final 4½ games of the season.

But there are several reasons why the Eagles could go with someone like BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields if either are available, or even trade up to No. 3, which is the Miami Dolphins’ spot.

Let’s start with this: The opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback don’t come around often for the Eagles.

Since drafting Donovan McNabb No. 2 overall in 1999, the Eagles have only drafted in the top 10 twice on merit – in 2000, when they took defensive tackle Corey Simon No. 6, and in 2013 when they took right tackle Lane Johnson at No. 4 overall.

In 2016, the Eagles made two trades, involving two starters and five draft picks, to move up from No. 13 to No. 8 and then to No. 2 to draft Wentz. The deal with the Colts will land them a third-round pick this year and a second-round pick next year. That second-rounder turns into a first-rounder if Wentz  plays 75% of the snaps, or 70% plus the Colts make the playoffs.

This year, there are three players in the draft who are considered franchise-caliber QBs, beginning with Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, expected to go first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed in some order by Wilson and Fields.

We all know how Eagles general manager Howie Roseman feels about his “quarterback factory,” a characterization he made after drafting Hurts last spring.

Roseman’s belief in the quarterback position dates to long before that. Here’s what he said about trading up to get Wentz back in 2016: “One player can change your team. For us, we know how important that is, that position, so investing in that position was a no-brainer.”

Sure, the investment has been costly, considering the draft picks the Eagles gave up to get Wentz, plus the massive contract extension in 2019 that will lead to the $34 million salary cap hit the Eagles will incur by trading him.

But does that high cost equate to making the mistake worse by not having a franchise quarterback to replace Wentz?

If the Eagles feel that Hurts is that franchise quarterback, then fine, draft another position at No. 6. The Eagles could use an impact player at several positions, like wide receiver, defensive line, defensive back and linebacker.

If Hurts is not the franchise quarterback, then drafting one supersedes the other needs.

It would also be admitting that drafting Hurts was a mistake.

Other teams have done much worse. In 2018, the Cardinals drafted Josh Rosen in the first round at No. 10. The very next year, they drafted Kyler Murray No. 1 overall and traded Rosen.

The similarity with the Eagles is that the Cardinals changed coaching staffs in between the Rosen and Murray picks, just like the Eagles went from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni now.

An NFL coach’s success is often tied to his quarterback. In 2016, the Eagles hired Pederson and drafted Wentz. In 2017, Wentz was on his way to becoming an MVP before he tore his ACL late in the season and the Eagles won the Super Bowl anyway.

In 2020, Wentz was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, the Eagles finished 4-11-1, Pederson was fired, Wentz was benched and is about to be traded.

One factor in Hurts’ favor under Sirianni is that the newly hired quarterbacks coach, Brian Johnson, has known Hurts since he was a little kid. But Johnson isn’t making the draft pick; Roseman is.

And really, the Eagles only had the final 4½ games last season to figure out if Hurts is ready to be the franchise QB.

During that time, Hurts completed only 51% of his passes, even worse than Wentz’s awful percentage of 57.4%. Hurts also had a passer rating of 76.5, only marginally better than Wentz’s 72.8, which was among the bottom three among starters in the NFL.

Hurts’ difference is his running ability. He ran for 301 yards, on pace for more than 1,000 over an entire season, something only two other quarterbacks have accomplished in NFL history – Lamar Jackson (twice) and Michael Vick.

The Chargers found their franchise QB last season at No. 6 in Justin Herbert. He threw for 4,336 yards, with 31 touchdowns and a 98.3 passer rating.

Then again, the Giants drafted Daniel Jones No. 6 overall in 2019, and many are still wondering if he’s a franchise QB. The Jets took Sam Darnold No. 3 overall in 2018 and appear ready to move on from him with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.

So the Eagles better be right, of course.

Look at it this way: If the Eagles spend their No. 6 pick on a quarterback, they still  have an extra third-round pick to bolster other positions from trading Wentz.

We can assume that even Roseman wouldn’t take two quarterbacks in the same draft, right?

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

What happens if the Steelers opt to cut contractual ties with QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER?  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Steelers, fully aware that they may not have enough around quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to justify bringing him back for another year, suddenly seem to be ambivalent about an ongoing relationship. So if (and it’s still a fairly big if) the Steelers decide to sever ties with Big Ben, he’ll become a free agent.

The question then becomes whether he’d continue his career with another team.

It’s a topic he’s never addressed. It’s a topic that, before Wednesday’s comments from G.M. Kevin Colbert, was never relevant. Now, it’s moving closer toward that category.

If Ben would be willing to explore another year or two with another team, the question then becomes whether another team would want him. Myles Simmons and I spitballed through the various options on Thursday’s PFT Live.

The only potentially viable options, now that the Colts are spoken for, would seem to be these: Jets, Patriots, Texans (if they trade Deshaun Watson), Broncos, Raiders (if they trade Derek Carr, which seems highly unlikely), Cowboys (if they let Dak Prescott walk), Washington, Bears, Panthers, Saints, 49ers, and Seahawks (if they trade Russell Wilson, which seems highly unlikely). That’s the broadest universe of arguably realistic possibilities.

Even then, it’s hard to imagine a land rush emerging for a quarterback who will be 39 on March 2.

Indeed, if it were believed that several teams would clamor for a quarterback who is due to make only $19 million this year, Colbert’s remarks from Wednesday would spark discussion about a potential trade of Roethlisberger. The fact that there’s been no such reports suggests that, if the Steelers cut Ben, the market may not be very robust.

More on that subject from Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:

With the final cap number in flux and free agency and the NFL draft still ahead of them, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a long way from finalizing their 2021 roster.

But one thing is certain: They will add another quarterback to the room.

The future of Ben Roethlisberger, who will be 39 next month, still has to be sorted out, but that isn’t stopping the organization from exploring options to add more quarterbacks to the roster. With contracts expiring for Devlin Hodges and Josh Dobbs, the Steelers signed Dwayne Haskins to a futures deal in January to evaluate his potential, similar to their exploration of former first-round pick Paxton Lynch during the 2019 season. Mason Rudolph is also under contract for one more season.

But team owner and CEO Art Rooney II acknowledged that’s not enough.

“I think when you look at our room, we obviously are going to have to add somebody to the room here this offseason, and so we’ll look at all the opportunities we have to do that,” Rooney said last month.

Though the salary cap can’t drop below $180 million, the Steelers are still facing tight constraints that could make it difficult to even sign a mid-level veteran to compete with Rudolph for the starting job should they part with Roethlisberger.

“When Ben was a younger player, we always wanted that veteran presence behind him,” general manager Kevin Colbert said earlier this week. “As he crossed over into that veteran status, we always tried to have a younger player behind him that may be on the rise. A player like Mason Rudolph or Joshua Dobbs, now that Joshua is back with us last year. A player like Dwayne Haskins, a very talented player that was drafted very high by Washington.

“It didn’t work out for him. There was a change in regimes, he was cut, and it was a no-risk pick up for us. He is a talented player and we will find out more about him once we get him in here and get him out on the field. So does that mean we can’t continue to add to that position? Absolutely not. Nothing we will do in this free agency period will preclude us from continuing to look at that and add a player at that position.”

That leaves the NFL draft.

The Steelers haven’t selected a quarterback since taking Rudolph in the third round of the 2017 draft. A year before that, they picked up Dobbs in the fourth round. That could change this year.

The 2021 quarterback draft class has quality and quantity, with more than 10 available and the potential for five to be taken in the first round. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. doesn’t expect the 2022 class to be as deep, making this the year for the Steelers to draft a quarterback — especially if the organization maintains it’s in a win-now mode.

“This group is better,” Kiper said, comparing the 2021 quarterbacks to the 2022 class. “This group, [BYU’s] Zach Wilson had a great year. If [Trey] Lance [of North Dakota State] would’ve gone back — which I think he should’ve gone back, gone to Ohio State or Texas and played one year — but he didn’t. He’s coming out. But had he done that, he would’ve been a guy who could’ve gone No. 1 next year ahead of those guys. These guys are all better than next year’s group.”

With the No. 24 pick, the Steelers, an organization that rarely trades up in the first, are out of the sweepstakes for the top tier that includes Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Wilson and Alabama’s Mac Jones. Lance, a 20-year-old who played in just one game during the 2020 season, could fall because of his limited experience and age.

With a later first-round pick and a bevy of needs at offensive line and running back, the Steelers won’t get good value selecting a quarterback in the first.

But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look to use a third- or fourth-round pick — 87 and 128 overall — on a gunslinger. The Steelers could also gain a fourth-round compensatory pick at No. 141 overall that could be used on a quarterback.

Players like Texas’ Sam Ehlinger, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond and Georgia’s Jamie Newman could be possible fits in that range, but Kiper believes one wild card from the mid-tier quarterback group stands out: Newman.

“Once you know you have the guy, you’re set for a long, long time,” Kiper said. “You’re ahead of everybody else in the league. Look at all the teams that are changing. If you can find that guy, you’re in really good shape.

“If I’m looking at the quarterbacks this year for the Steelers, if I can’t get one of those five, I’m not really in a position to trade up to get one, unless Trey Lance drops down, then I would think Newman. Newman would be an interesting guy for them in maybe late second, third round.”

Newman, an athletic prospect with a strong arm, last took the field at Wake Forest in 2019, throwing for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his final season, before transferring to Georgia. He also rushed for 574 yards and five touchdowns.

But instead of testing his fortitude against SEC defenses, Newman, 23, opted out of the season due to COVID-19. With a lack of recent tape, 17 career starts, and a significantly curtailed NFL combine, evaluating Newman is tricky. There’s plenty of risk associated with drafting him, but there could also be a high reward, Kiper said.

“He goes to the Senior Bowl practice and he was all over the place, he was all over the place with throws, he’s inconsistent, but he was rusty,” Kiper said. “Here’s a kid with talent. Didn’t play this year. He would be the kind of guy you roll the dice on, Jamie Newman.

“Thinking that ‘Hey, this is a guy we’re getting at a bargain point in the draft, maybe third, fourth round, who didn’t play, and if he played well at Georgia probably would’ve been a first- or second-round pick.'”

The Steelers need to add another quarterback, even if Roethlisberger returns. The new QB doesn’t have to make the 53-man roster if Roethlisberger holds off retirement for one more season, but the Steelers need to keep auditioning quarterbacks for the future.

Rudolph is in the mix, and Haskins could be, too. Ideally, the Steelers could bring in a mid-level veteran like Tyrod Taylor to compete with Rudolph for either the backup or starting job, but they may not have the cap flexibility to do that.

That leaves building through the draft, a method the Steelers often prefer. The post-Roethlisberger era isn’t here yet — but it could be just around the corner. The Steelers need to prepare.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Three writers at The Athletic, including Mike Sando, tell us why QB DESHAUN WATSON wants out of Houston (edited)

Oh, shit.

Deshaun Watson had just finished a workout in a small gym on a cloudy day in Atlanta when his quarterback coach, Quincy Avery, saw the news. Just 24, Watson was coming off the most accomplished season of his young career in 2019. He made the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year, collected his first playoff win in the Texans’ overtime thriller against the Bills and the following week helped Houston jump out to a 24-point lead against eventual Super Bowl-champion Kansas City, all signs that bigger and better things might be in store. Then Avery picked up his phone.

“Oh, shit,” he said across the gym.

Watson, wearing shorts and a simple black T-shirt, looked at his phone. The Texans had traded all-everything receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Watson’s best weapon, the receiver he had first met on a recruiting visit to Clemson years ago, the receiver he once said he had “trust and loyalty” in — and Watson had found out about it on social media. Avery turned his phone on Watson, video rolling. “When you finish a workout and try to figure out why your phone exploded,” Avery captioned the three-second clip on social media. Watson just glared.

Watson was angry about the trade, which represented the first major crack in the relationship between him and the team, but less than six months later, shortly before the first game of the season, he agreed to a $156 million contract extension — the second-richest deal in football. On a Zoom call with reporters and friends, Watson, tears welling in his eyes, thanked owner Cal McNair, coach and general manager Bill O’Brien and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby. “For the McNair family, OB, Jack to just trust in me, believe in me — I’m their guy, I’m their quarterback — is the biggest thing that really touches me,” Watson said before his voice cracked. Back in his hometown of Gainesville, Ga., Watson’s family crowded into view of a single webcam. They told him there was only one thing left to do: win a Super Bowl.

Instead, the 2020 season ended with Watson further from the Lombardi Trophy than ever before. A series of decisions made since Easterby’s arrival in April 2019 — in many of which O’Brien had a significant say, and all of which McNair signed off on — played a part in the Texans going 4-12 despite Watson performing like a top-three quarterback.

More importantly, the turmoil led Watson to ask for a trade, his trust in the organization shattered.

– – –

Still, the trade was the strongest evidence yet of the instability that has hurt the Texans’ efforts to build around Watson.

The general manager who traded up to draft him No. 12 overall against team consensus, Rick Smith, stepped away after Watson’s rookie season to care for his sick wife. The GM who replaced Smith, Brian Gaine, was fired after a little more than a year despite the Texans winning 11 games. Easterby’s arrival had preceded Gaine’s ouster by about two months, and together Easterby and O’Brien took control of the front office, with the former assuming the lead on contract negotiations following the dismissal of Chris Olsen, the team’s longtime cap expert.

“At a certain point, don’t you stop and say, ‘Do we need to fire all these people because they are not getting along with the head coach and Easterby?’” a league executive said. “It’s weird.” The duo had little experience with their new duties, and it showed.

– – –

League executives with other teams said the Texans shopped Hopkins for months — and his demand for a top-of-the-market extension limited his trade value, leading the Texans to eventually accept an underwhelming return: expensive and declining running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick and a swap of fourth-round selections. Hopkins had three years remaining on his old contract, so the Texans could have called his bluff on a holdout, but O’Brien and Easterby didn’t view Hopkins as a culture fit and were wary of a contract dispute bleeding into training camp while teammates inked big deals.

It bothered Watson that the team hadn’t communicated with him about the trade, which was quickly and overwhelmingly pilloried as one of the worst in NFL history. Both Lindsay Jones of The Athletic and Bill Barnwell of ESPN handed out “F” grades. CBS Sports dubbed the move a “blunder.” Some of the criticism bordered on mockery. One NFL player ripped the Texans as buffoons. Another suggested the NFL should look into drug-testing general managers and coaches.

After nearly a week of harsh criticism and no public comments from team brass regarding the trade, the Texans sent an email to reporters titled “2020 Offseason Notes,” the contents of which spanned 58 bullet points across six sections and were consistent with Easterby’s messaging. The memo included the phrasing “smart, tough and dependable” three times to describe players; O’Brien began using the phrase after Easterby’s arrival, and it was incorporated into highlight videos.

– – –

In the aftermath of the Hopkins trade, Watson expressed his frustration to coaches and management, and the Texans promised changes. During contract negotiations last offseason, O’Brien told Watson’s camp that the quarterback would be more involved in the team-building process moving forward, sources said. And to further appease him, the team accepted his agent’s request to include a no-trade clause in the four-year extension.

For the time being, the relationship was salvaged.

– – –

As the season went along, Watson started to lose faith in the direction of the organization. There were several warning signs in the first few weeks alone: an opening-night loss to the Chiefs that only proved that Houston’s roster overhaul had done nothing to shrink the gap between the two teams. A blowout loss to the Ravens in Week 2. A mid-practice argument between O’Brien and Watt in Week 3. O’Brien taking back play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Tim Kelly in Week 4. And a loss to the Vikings that dropped the team to 0-4 — all with the only true franchise quarterback in team history.

By that point in the season, the mismanagement of the Texans’ roster was obvious. After trading a second-round pick for Brandin Cooks, whom Easterby identified as a good culture fit, Houston was the only team with four receivers counting for at least $6 million apiece against the cap. One of them, Kenny Stills, was such a nonfactor that the team cut him after he caught 11 passes in 10 games. The team’s duo of receiving backs, David and Duke Johnson, was hardly a factor in the passing game — and collectively accounted for nearly as much cap space as all of the team’s corners.

As for that “very valuable” second-round pick the Texans acquired in the Hopkins trade: The team didn’t use it to dip into a deep pool of receivers. With Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool still on the board, as well as defensive rookie of the year candidate Antoine Winfield Jr., the Texans picked Ross Blacklock, a defensive lineman from TCU who played just 23 percent of the defense’s snaps.

Houston’s maneuvering left some offensive skill positions overstocked at the expense of a defense that ranked 30th in efficiency. A source close to Watson likened the Texans’ team-building approach to “a kid in a video game,” changing strategy on the fly.

If that was the case, then firing O’Brien four games into the season — after empowering him with the general manager title and allowing him to trade away a star receiver — was McNair rage-quitting on the season from the owner’s box. “You have an owner that is seen as inexperienced, and it’s reinforced by the hiring of Easterby and giving him the status that he did,” a longtime executive from another team said of McNair, who took control of the team from his late father in 2018 after six years as the team’s COO. “If that had been a 15-year owner, you might say, ‘OK, this guy has made good decisions here and here, so we will give him the benefit of the doubt.’ Cal doesn’t get that.”

Not even from his quarterback. Sources said after O’Brien lost his job so soon following the roster overhaul, Watson questioned the Texans’ plan — if they had one at all.

When the team was 1-6, McNair said in a radio interview with a team employee that he hadn’t given up hope on the playoffs, and that pandemic-related crowd reductions made a wild-card team’s path to the Super Bowl easier than ever. The trade deadline was the day after McNair gave that interview, and though the Texans flirted with the Packers about a potential deal in which they would give up receiver Will Fuller, Houston ultimately stood pat. While Easterby acted as interim general manager, team sources said the Texans were hypersensitive to the perception of “losing” any trade.

– – –

The losing, especially the close defeats, wore on Watson, who won state championships in high school, a national championship at Clemson and never missed the playoffs in an NFL season he finished. After a goal-line fumble blew the Texans’ upset bid against the Colts in Week 13, Watson sat on a bench while other players mingled and headed to their locker rooms. A towel covered the quarterback’s head. “This shit hurts,” he said that day. “I’m tired of losing.”

In his season-ending news conference in January, Watson said the Texans needed “a whole culture shift,” adding the team had “too many different minds, too many different ideas and too many people who think they have this power, and it’s not like that.” One source characterized it as “a direct message to Cal McNair” telling the owner to move on from Easterby, who is responsible for directing the team’s culture and has amassed increasing influence, as detailed by Sports Illustrated in December.

Watson also said the team needed patience as it began a journey toward a Super Bowl with a new general manager and coach. The day before, he’d spoken to McNair by phone and endorsed keeping offensive coordinator Tim Kelly on staff. Based on previous conversations and public statements by McNair, Watson had the impression he’d be involved in the Texans’ search process.

That didn’t happen.

The Texans’ search committee — McNair, team president Jamey Rootes and Jed Hughes of the search firm Korn Ferry — interviewed four general manager candidates and three head-coaching candidates. But Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, of whom Watson had spoken highly, was not included in that group. Neither was the general manager the team ultimately hired, longtime Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, although the Texans had already vetted him.

Houston tried to hire Caserio after firing GM Brian Gaine in 2019, but after New England threatened tampering charges amid rumors that Easterby recruited Caserio at a Patriots Super Bowl ring party, the Texans dropped the pursuit. That created a power vacuum filled by O’Brien and Easterby. When starting his GM search, McNair said that person would determine Easterby’s role. Soon after the season, Easterby alerted McNair that Caserio, a friend with whom he shares an agent, could end up taking the Panthers’ open GM job. Instead, the Texans embarked on a “new search,” as McNair put it — and hired Caserio themselves. Just as with Hopkins, Watson found out about the big move on social media. He posted a cryptic, since-deleted tweet that evening: “Some things never change …”

In an effort to minimize drama, McNair said during Caserio’s introductory news conference that he understood Watson’s point of view before embarking on the search process. But that didn’t stop Watson from ignoring the Texans’ calls and eventually requesting a trade — one that, if completed, would rank among the most high-profile transactions in NFL history. The Jets and Dolphins are two rumored preferred landing spots for Watson, whose no-trade clause gives him leverage. But a source said the quarterback is open to other teams and is aware that any trade with New York would limit the Jets’ ability to build a quality roster around him. For now, the Texans are not engaging in Watson trade discussions with other teams, even while the possibility of Watson sitting out games looms over them. McNair said as recently as Feb. 12 that the team’s stance won’t change.

There’s debate over how much influence a player should have on a team’s hiring process, especially when it comes to vetting general manager candidates, but most team executives fault McNair for letting this mistake — a miscommunication at best and an unkept promise at worst — poison his team’s future. In the end, Houston landed arguably the most qualified GM candidate while becoming the only team to hire a Black head coach this offseason, a point of emphasis in the league — yet the organization still managed to further alienate its franchise quarterback.

After the final game of the season, Watson and Watt walked off the field, side by side. The Texans had just lost to the Titans, their fifth consecutive defeat, to wrap up a miserable 4-12 season. Watson had thrown for 365 yards and put up 38 points. Watt had two more tackles for loss and played in all 16 games for just the second time in the past five years. As had been the case too frequently, it wasn’t enough.

Over the years, Watt and Watson had become Houston icons. The Texans never made the playoffs until Watt showed up; they couldn’t aspire for more until Watson arrived. The previous season was one of potential and promise, with Watson putting the Texans on the doorstep of their first AFC Championship Game. But the 2020 season was a disaster from any angle. As they headed for the locker room, Watson tapped Watt twice on the backside. Watt turned, and for a moment the pair stopped on the field.

“I’m sorry,” Watt told him. “We wasted one of your years.”

In the coming weeks, one of them would ask to be released and the other one would ask to be traded. Their time together in Houston was soon to be over, and as they neared the exit, Watt turned to Watson to repeat himself.

“I’m sorry.”

AFC EAST

NEW YORK JETS

Sam Monson has some thoughts on Twitter about QB SAM DARNOLD:

Sam Monson

@PFF_Sam

Sam Darnold shouldn’t be a starting QB in 2021.

I’m not ruling out the idea that he can be salvaged, but the weight of evidence that he can be a plus starter is MASSIVELY outweighed by evidence saying he can’t be.

Choosing to play the small side of that is reckless/desperate

I’d be really interested in seeing him sit behind somebody for a year and maybe succeeding a veteran after that.

But I don’t think you can be confident in him as a 2021 starter even in an improved environment

As an aside, why the draft stuff is so hard. Is it even his fault?

THIS AND THAT

2021 DRAFT

We have yet to see it in a Mock Draft, but Grey Papke of Larry Brown Sports hears that

BYU QB ZACH WILSON sits atop some draft boards, not Clemson QB TREVOR LAWRENCE.

Conventional wisdom around the NFL Draft is pretty strongly in favor of Trevor Lawrence not just as the top quarterback available, but as the likely No. 1 pick. It sounds like some teams may disagree with that assessment.

Matt Miller of The Draft Scout reported Wednesday that one NFL team has BYU quarterback Zach Wilson ahead of Lawrence on their board. One scouting director even compared Wilson to what they saw from Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.

Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting went a step further, saying that multiple teams have Wilson ahead of Lawrence as the top quarterback on the board.

Ultimately, the opinion that matters most here is that of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it sounds like they’re on board with Lawrence. The Clemson quarterback’s recent Pro Day performance seems to have only reinforced that belief.

We’ve actually heard some negative things about Wilson in the leadup to the pre-draft process. Clearly, some teams aren’t buying the criticism if this report is true.

– – –

And what will the Mockers say now that the Eagles might need a QB at #6?  The Athletic:

The Eagles trading Carson Wentz to the Colts seems like it could shake up mock drafts, and we’ll see the fallout from draft prognosticators in the coming days, but don’t expect the first round to change too much. There will naturally be a few more mock drafts speculating that the Eagles draft a quarterback with the sixth overall pick, but most might not change at all — Philadelphia is likely committed to Jalen Hurts in the short term and will still need to find weapons for the offense.

Before the trade, Eagles mocks had primarily focused on either LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase or Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith, with a few analysts eyeing Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons for Philadelphia, and that trend seems smart for a team lacking skill players. Still, the odds of a quarterback selection have increased, and the quarterback most likely available for the Eagles is another North Dakota State alum, Trey Lance. Lance has generally been projected a few picks later to the Panthers, other times landing in San Francisco or Washington.

The Colts don’t see much change, either. Not many mock drafts saw them taking a quarterback, though their range of picks has been broad among analysts. Some have projected Mac Jones for Indianapolis, but that’s a minority opinion. Now, with a little bit less ammunition to trade up, Jones seems even less likely. The retirement of Anthony Castonzo looms large, and both Texas’ Samuel Cosmi and Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw have been projected for Indianapolis recently.

That could become even more important given how much longer Wentz holds on to the ball than Philip Rivers, and if Frank Reich wants to give Wentz a fair shot, staying the course with an offensive lineman might be the best option.

– – –

Today’s Mock Draft comes from CBSSports.com’s Josh Edwards:

Without further ado, let’s kick this off!

1 – JACKSONVILLE

Trevor Lawrence QB

CLEMSON • JR • 6’6″ / 220 LBS

Urban Meyer was very involved in Trevor Lawrence’s Pro Day for a reason. It would be a surprise if he were not the No. 1 overall pick.

2 – NY JETS

Zach Wilson QB

BYU • JR • 6’3″ / 210 LBS

New York begins the Robert Saleh era with a new quarterback. The Jets are able to flip Sam Darnold for some additional picks to continue their rebuild.

3 – MIAMI (from Houston)

Penei Sewell OL

OREGON • JR • 6’6″ / 330 LBS

Miami adds Penei Sewell early, which allows them to move Austin Jackson to right tackle and Robert Hunt slides inside to guard. One pick upgrades multiple positions.

4 – ATLANTA

Justin Fields QB

OHIO STATE • JR • 6’3″ / 228 LBS

Atlanta gives a vote of confidence to the hometown grown quarterback to begin the Arthur Smith era. Matt Ryan can be the present, but Fields is the future.

5 – CINCINNATI

Kyle Pitts TE

FLORIDA • JR • 6’6″ / 240 LBS

A.J. Green is not going to be in Cincinnati much longer, which leaves Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins at the position. Joe Burrow utilized C.J. Uzomah before his injury and Kyle Pitts would take the offense to a whole new level.

6 – PHILADELPHIA

Caleb Farley CB

VIRGINIA TECH • JR • 6’2″ / 207 LBS

It is hard to imagine Philadelphia taking a wide receiver in the first round in consecutive years. Caleb Farley would give them a lockdown cornerback opposite Darius Slay.

7 – DETROIT

Ja’Marr Chase WR

LSU • JR • 6’0″ / 208 LBS

Detroit is slated to lose the entire wide receiver room to free agency, which creates a need at the position. Ja’Marr Chase would be an elite option for Jared Goff or whoever is under center.

8 – CAROLINA

Trey Lance QB

NFL DRAFT • SOPH • 6’4″ / 226 LBS

Joe Brady was phenomenal with Joe Burrow and Carolina hopes that he works his magic with Trey Lance as well. Lance will need some time to develop, so forcing him to play early would not be ideal.

9 – DENVER

Micah Parsons LB

PENN STATE • JR • 6’3″ / 244 LBS

Micah Parsons is a very talented linebacker who gives Vic Fangio another defensive building block. A future with Von Miller is uncertain, but Bradley Chubb should be around for quite some time.

10 – DALLAS

Patrick Surtain II CB

ALABAMA • JR • 6’2″ / 203 LBS

Dallas adds the shutdown cornerback that the team has lacked since allowing Byron Jones to walk in free agency.

11 – NY GIANTS

Gregory Rousseau EDGE

MIAMI (FL) • SOPH • 6’7″ / 265 LBS

New York needs to supply some edge pressure to draw some double teams away from that really talented defensive tackle rotation. Gregory Rousseau has been off the map since last season but the talent is evident.

12 – SAN FRANCISCO

Rashawn Slater OL

NORTHWESTERN • JR • 6’3″ / 305 LBS

San Francisco’s offensive line was a disappointment in 2020. Rashawn Slater has the capability of starting at all five positions and should from Day 1.

13 – LA CHARGERS

Christian Darrisaw OL

VIRGINIA TECH • JR • 6’5″ / 314 LBS

Los Angeles adds blindside protection for Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. Christian Darrisaw is a really poised player who inspires confidence as an immediate impact player.

14 – MINNESOTA

Kwity Paye DL

MICHIGAN • SR • 6’4″ / 272 LBS

Minnesota needs to go shopping at the thrift store with its salary cap situation but, in this case, the Vikings do not compromise talent in the process. Kwity Paye is not a perfect player but put him in a defined role and he will have a chance to succeed.

15 –  Jaylen Waddle WR

ALABAMA • JR • 5’10” / 182 LBS

We may not know who will be throwing passes out of New England’s offense next season but that person would certainly benefit from having a wide receiver like Jaylen Waddle.

16 – ARIZONA

Alijah Vera-Tucker OL

USC • JR • 6’4″ / 315 LBS

Alijah Vera-Tucker offers a lot of positional flexibility and that makes him invaluable to an offense. An offensive line without holes enables an offense to reach its full potential.

17 – LAS VEGAS

Devonta Smith WR

ALABAMA • JR • 6’1″ / 175 LBS

After parting ways with Tyrell Williams, Las Vegas turns to Henry Ruggs’ former teammate to provide a spark on offense.

18 – MIAMI

Zaven Collins LB

TULSA • JR • 6’4″ / 260 LBS

Brian Flores finds an active thumper to provide enforcement on his defense. Zaven Collins is a filled-out linebacker who can clean up the turnovers created by that defensive front.

19 – WASHINGTON

Jaycee Horn CB

SOUTH CAROLINA • JR • 6’1″ / 205 LBS

Washington continues to assemble pieces on defense. Jaycee Horn is a honing device for footballs and should capitalize on the manic pressure created by a bevy of former first-round picks.

20 – CHICAGO

Jalen Mayfield OL

MICHIGAN • JR • 6’5″ / 320 LBS

Chicago can save some salary cap space and upgrade the tackle position by bringing in Jalen Mayfield. I am of the belief that he can hang on the edge but, in a worst-case scenario, he slides inside to play guard.

21 – INDIANAPOLIS

Jayson Oweh EDGE

PENN STATE • SOPH • 6’5″ / 253 LBS

Jayson Oweh gives Indianapolis a high-upside edge rusher who can one day take over for Justin Houston.

22 – TENNESSEE

Azeez Ojulari LB

GEORGIA • FR • 6’3″ / 240 LBS

The player changes but the position remains the same. Defensive-minded head coach Mike Vrabel desperately wants to ratchet up the pressure on opposing offenses this season.

23 – NY JETS (from Seattle)

Jaelan Phillips DL

MIAMI (FL) • JR • 6’5″ / 266 LBS

New York added a potential franchise quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick and now has a cornerstone edge rusher to place next to Quinnen Williams.

24 – PITTSBURGH

Teven Jenkins OL

OKLAHOMA STATE • SR • 6’6″ / 320 LBS

Pittsburgh landed a steal in offensive guard Kevin Dotson last draft. The Steelers can add another key piece to a youthful offensive line by taking the physical Teven Jenkins with this pick. The Steelers get back some of the attitude that they have been lacking.

25 – JACKSONVILLE (from LA Rams)

Christian Barmore DL

ALABAMA • SOPH • 6’5″ / 310 LBS

Jacksonville has taken three front-seven players in as many drafts. The selection of Christian Barmore will carry some expectations for that talented but young defensive line.

26 – CLEVELAND

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah LB

NOTRE DAME • JR • 6’1″ / 215 LBS

Cleveland would likely investigate moving up to land a pass rusher in the first round but, letting the cards play out as they may, the Browns take a linebacker who is more like a safety to make Joe Woods’ defense more versatile.

27 – BALTIMORE

Trevon Moehrig S

TCU • JR • 6’2″ / 208 LBS

The Ravens made the decision to move on from Earl Thomas last offseason and they re-invest in the position a year later.

28 – NEW ORLEANS

Mac Jones QB

ALABAMA • JR • 6’3″ / 214 LBS

I have mocked Mac Jones to the Saints for awhile. They are essentially the only team in the first round that I would feel comfortable taking him. It is the best situation for him to succeed.

29 – GREEN BAY

Kadarius Toney WR

FLORIDA • SR • 6’0″ / 193 LBS

Green Bay does not take wide receivers in the first round and all that jazz. Kadarius Toney is a great, dynamic talent that the Packers can not let fall any farther. Aaron Rodgers had arguably his best season despite essentially playing with one arm tied behind his back.

30 – BUFFALO

Joseph Ossai LB

TEXAS • JR • 6’4″ / 253 LBS

Buffalo took A.J. Epenesa last year. The hope is that either Joseph Ossai or Epenesa steps up opposite Jerry Hughes and ideally the other eventually takes over for Hughes.

31 – KANSAS CITY

Nick Bolton LB

MISSOURI • JR • 6’0″ / 232 LBS

Kansas City took Willie Gay last year but there is room for Nick Bolton to come in and start. The Chiefs can move on from some veterans and start preparing for the future.

32 – TAMPA BAY

Daviyon Nixon DT

IOWA • JR • 6’3″ / 305 LBS

Mock drafts for Tampa Bay are essentially this: pick one free agent who could walk this offseason and replace that player. In this case, Ndamukong Suh chases the bag, which creates a gap on the Bucs defense. Daviyon Nixon is a player that I have grown to like the more and more I have watched him.