HOUSTON – The second question from Deshaun Watson’s press conference after the Houston Texans signed their quarterback to a record-breaking four-year contract extension on Saturday was asked by Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. The third? By Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander.
And then, when Michael Perry, Watson’s offensive coordinator at Gainesville High School in Ga., Came on the roll, Watson’s tears began. As the two spoke about the past – and Watson’s future – the quarterback began to remember how he had grown up.
“Lots of memories,” Watson said, when asked what he was thinking when he saw all the familiar faces on the call. “Lots of talking. Lots of sacrifices, discipline. All these people were, including JV [Verlander], had something to report to me. They’ve had a big chunk of my career so these are just flashbacks that keep stacking up with so many special moments. It’s awesome. “
When Watson’s family called to congratulate him, Watson was visibly moved.
“I cried a little – a lot, really,” Watson said. “It’s just – an amazing time, for me to be able to extend my career in a place, in a place, in a house, I would say, that my family loves, that I love, that I want to continue to dive into the community above all else, and just keep building my legacy, just build our legacy as a whole and do something we’ve never done before. “
The emotion, Watson said, was due to the commitment the Texan organization showed him and how far he had come. When asked if he was worried about whether the contract would be made before the start of the season, Watson said it was his “last and least concern”.
“The money is amazing. It changes your life. It’s great,” Watson said. “But the most important is for the McNair family, OB [head coach Bill O’Brien], Jack [Easterby], just trusting myself and believing in myself, that I’m their guy, I’m their quarterback – is the most important thing, and it really touches me. Growing up, where I come from … there aren’t too many people doing it.
“For them to trust me – man, that means the most. It’s the most important thing. The contract, which was going to take care of itself. My biggest goal was this locker room, and just my performance on the pitch, because it’s – I mean, it’s something that really took me out of all the negativity. Just really all the negative things that we had been going through growing up. “
The contract extension Watson signed on Saturday is worth $ 177.54 million with nearly $ 111 million in guarantees, behind quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ only 12-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, the most important in NFL history.
Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien has said since the end of last season, when Watson became eligible for a contract extension, that the organization wanted to make sure his quarterback either in Houston for a long time. On Saturday, he said Watson was a “shining example” of the type of player the Texans want on their roster.
“He’s just an extremely hardworking young man, a very bright guy,” O’Brien said. “He’s a winner and he’s a winner at the most important position in football. I just think it’s a reflection for the team of what we’re trying to do here and our commitment on both sides. ‘commitment he has to being here and winning and who he is both on and off the pitch, and the commitment we have had to him with respect to our belief in him since I met him at combine all those years ago. Huge confidence in him as a quarterback and as I really can’t wait to start the season. “
And while Watson was excited to sign the contract extension, he said he knew he had a lot of work to do. And his mother too. The first thing she said to him after he called to tell her about the contract extension? Go beat the Chiefs to open the season on September 10.
Watson said: “She was like, ‘Congratulations, but hey, you’ve got a game to win on Thursday and you’ve got a championship to win.'”
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