The Houston Texans locked up their franchise quarterback on Saturday, signing Deshaun Watson to a four-year, $160 million contract extension.
The deal, first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, amounts to $39 million a year with a $27 million signing bonus. It will keep Watson in Houston through the 2025 NFL season and is the second-largest total contract in league history. Its only comparison is the 12-year, $503 million deal Patrick Mahomes signed in July.
Watson shared the emotions associated with the extension. “As a child growing up in Georgia, it was always my dream to play in the NFL,” Watson said in a Twitter post on Saturday. “… I promise to do everything I can to not only bring a championship to this great city but also leave a legacy of helping positively impact this community. Now back to the work … “
Since the Kansas City Chiefs secured Mahomes, there has been anxiety lingering throughout the NFL fanbase. Days before signing the deal, Watson undermined the noise.
“My agent and the organization are continuing to handle that,” Watson said this week. “My main focus is just getting ready for next week and making sure this team is set in stone and mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually ready for Sept. 10. My agent is handling that.”
Put simply, it adds to the Watson-Mahomes drama we’re sure to experience over the next decade.
While Mahomes already has a regular-season MVP, a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP under his belt, Watson has also shown enormous upside.
Heading into his fourth NFL season, Watson is one 300-yard game away from surpassing 10,000 career passing yards. He also clings to a 6-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Additionally, in the 2019 AFC Wild Card game, he led the Texans to a victory over the Buffalo Bills after trailing, 16-0, early, bouncing back from the 21-7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2018 Wild Card game.
Watson, however, will be in a little different position this year. In March, the Texans traded away top wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson. He will have to manufacture similar chemistry with another wideout. Chances are Will Fuller V will occupy the role, considering he has caught 14 touchdowns from Watson in three seasons.