The Houston Texans have secured themselves elite quarterback play, at least through 2025. The team announced over the weekend that they have agreed to a four-year extension with their Pro Bowl signal-caller Deshaun Watson.
Watson, who still has two years left on his rookie deal, will reportedly receive $160 million in new money and 111 million in guarantees. This makes it the second-richest contract in the NFL aside from Patrick Mahomes’ 10-year, $503 million extension.
Watson became eligible for an extension for the first time in his career this year, and Texans immediately jumped on the opportunity to lock him long term. The team approached his representatives early in the offseason, and the two sides have been working on the agreement until recently.
“I’m lost for words, honestly. Been crying a little bit, a lot of bit, really. It’s just an amazing moment for me,” said Watson after inking the deal. “The money is amazing. It’s life-changing. It’s great. But the biggest thing is for the (organization) to just trust in me and believe in me that I’m their guy, I’m their quarterback is the biggest thing that really touches me.”
The Houston Texans traded up in the 2017 NFL Draft to draft Deshaun Watson no.12 overall, and the Clemson product proved to be even better than advertised. Throughout the 38 regular-season games he played so far, Watson managed to complete 66.8% of his passes while throwing for 9,716 yards and 71 touchdowns. This already propelled him to second place on Texans’ all-time touchdowns list.
Watson also led the Texans to consecutive playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019. He is completed 63.5 of his passes for 870 yards and four touchdowns in the postseason.
