Texans head coach David Culley sends mixed signals about Deshaun Watson's future in Houston
Culley said of Watson: 'He is our starting quarterback as of right now'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New Houston Texans head coach David Culley addressed the ongoing saga with quarterback Deshaun Watson and the organization during an appearance on the "Huddle & Flow" podcast on Thursday afternoon.
Culley, who was hired in January to be the successor to Bill O’Brien, expects Watson to be the team’s starting quarterback heading into the 2021 NFL season, but his response gave mixed signals to podcast hosts Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He is our starting quarterback as of right now," Culley told the hosts. "He is our starting quarterback. Things happen between now and then. And we’ll see what happens."
"He is our starting quarterback right now. And hopefully in the future," Culley reiterated.
Watson, who finished with 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns with a career-low seven interceptions this past season, wasn’t happy with the direction of the organization under O’Brien and current owner Cal McNair.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DOLPHINS GOING AFTER TEXANS' DESHAUN WATSON, WON'T DRAFT QUARTERBACK, NFL ANALYST SAYS
Watson reportedly requested a trade shortly after the 2020 season ended, which followed with a report from Sports Illustrated that the franchise quarterback wasn’t happy that the team didn’t ask for his input on a potential head coaching candidate. He was also reportedly upset over the fact that the Texans didn’t initially request to interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Watson signed a four-year, $156 million contract last offseason.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now with new general manager Nick Caserio running the show after leaving the New England Patriots, Culley believes that the organization is headed in the right direction.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"Basically with us – everything that is concerned with us inside this building – with the way we are going about our business right now, is that it is positive," Culley said. "I am excited to be here. One of the reasons why I’m excited to be here is because of Deshaun Watson.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And regardless of what is happening outside this building, which quite frankly, I don’t hear or read or listen to what happens outside this building. I don’t," Culley continued. "I have people come up to me all the time. And ask me about this. And ask me about this situation. But the point is, inside this building, inside this organization, we feel positive about moving forward with this football team with Deshaun Watson."