Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1555 - 1554: A Farce

The offseason, always tumultuous.

It’s the same every year, with new stories unfolding each time, without exception. Some teams become the center of comedic drama on stage, while others hide behind the scenes to control the show, some avoid the storm by observing from a distance, and some quietly take advantage of the chaos.

The hustle and bustle, whether seen or unseen, always unfolds.

This year, it’s the Houston Texans—

Unexpected yet predictable.

The unexpected comes from the fact that the Houston Texans have been on an upward trajectory since the 2017 season, with Watson widely recognized as the team’s cornerstone quarterback. In the just-concluded 2019 season, the team reached the conference finals for the first time in history, indicating that this young team seemed to finally be on the right track.

Logically, the team’s offseason should be focused on stability, avoiding any major upheavals, yet they found themselves under the spotlight.

The predictability lies in head coach O’Brien’s style: strong-willed and domineering, saying one thing and doing another. After being given the role of team manager last season, he wielded significant power, gradually turning the locker room into his own fiefdom. Following the historic achievements of the team last season, he reached his zenith.

In a professional football team with numerous players and diverse personalities, how the coach manages the locker room is an art. Though both share the tough military management style, Belichick’s success with the New England Patriots does not guarantee O’Brien’s success with the Houston Texans.

The spark of controversy comes from star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

In the 2019 season, Hopkins was undoubtedly the Texans’ number one wide receiver, and among the top-tier players in the entire league. However, Hopkins last renewed his contract with the team in 2017 for five years and eighty-one million US dollars. Although it was top-tier pay at the time, four years later, the contract was far from sufficient, prompting Hopkins to demand a contract restructuring.

Clearly, the Houston Texans did not wish to see this unfold.

The issue was not Hopkins’ request to restructure his contract, but the way the team handled it. If the team was dissatisfied, they could have sat down to negotiate; however, O’Brien was extremely steadfast, refusing to negotiate with Hopkins, even publicly humiliating him in the team office:

O’Brien compared Hopkins to Aaron Hernandez—

The former professional player who went to prison for murder.

This made Hopkins extremely dissatisfied, leading to a direct confrontation with O’Brien in the locker room.

Subsequently, rumors circulated within the Texans that O’Brien refused to negotiate with Hopkins, instead preparing to trade him, and spreading the word to sell Hopkins.

It stirred up a thousand waves!

The Texans’ locker room was in turmoil, with rumors of a group of players jointly petitioning, coming together to approach O’Brien, hoping he would change his mind.

Unfortunately, they failed.

More accurately, O’Brien firmly rejected this group of players with a tough stance, further underscoring his decision that Hopkins must be traded. Hopkins was a cancer, a pest; only his departure could restore tranquility to the locker room.

The terrible part was that these rumors did not remain confined to the locker room; they leaked out from time to time. Insider news laid bare the Texans’ locker room secrets, one news story after another, not only embarrassing O’Brien but also making the Texans a laughingstock—

Other team managers took advantage of the situation. They weren’t benevolent lambs, and seeing the irreconcilable feud between Hopkins and O’Brien, O’Brien was eager to dispatch Hopkins. Thus, each one began to depress the price, as one of the league’s top wide receivers haggled over like pork.

O’Brien was furious, believing Hopkins was causing trouble from behind. Emotions destroyed reason, with impulse and recklessness taking center stage.

The result was—

Before the free market officially opened, news of Hopkins leaving the Texans was already spreading like wildfire.

But no one anticipated that the real climax of this drama was yet to come.

When the free market opened, the Texans reached a trade agreement with the Arizona Cardinals, sending Hopkins to Arizona in exchange for running back David Johnson, a second-round pick, and a future fourth-round pick. The whole league was so stunned it was as if they were fried and burned.

At a loss for words.

First, David Johnson had long passed his peak and had a massive contract, so trading Hopkins for Johnson did not alleviate the Texans’ salary cap pressure.

Second, a second-round pick? A mere second-round pick was far below Hopkins’ actual market value.

NFL professionals could all see that O’Brien was so eager to rid himself of Hopkins that he even skimped on proper negotiations. Such an emotionally charged and reckless approach was unwise and unprofessional. "One of the worst trades in history," more than one expert said.

The Texans’ locker room was in disarray, with rumors of direct conflict between Watt and O’Brien.

This was no small matter, as Watt was a symbolic figure for the Texans.

Internally and externally, the entire team was in a panic. After achieving the best record in team history last season, no one expected such a dramatic downturn in the offseason.

Reporters rushed to interview Watt, and rarely seen, Watt did not hide his fury in front of the media.

"I don’t want to rebuild again, I want to win."

People knew that Watt had dedicated nine years to the Texans, giving his youth and life to this city and this team.

The young Texans have undergone multiple rebuilds over the years, repeatedly starting over with the fundamental goal of pursuing a Super Bowl championship. Watt had weathered countless storms with the team. The 2019 season finally brought a breakthrough, reaching the conference finals, and everything seemed to be going in the right direction, as their bright future slowly unfolded. Yet the offseason brought such upheaval.

No wonder Watt was furious.

This is JJ-Watt, the true soul of the Texans, and people knew that O’Brien couldn’t handle Watt’s issues like he did Hopkins’.

However, the subsequent developments were still unexpected. Just when everyone thought the drama was coming to an end, it took another twist, descending further into insanity and rushing headlong towards a precipice, seemingly spiraling completely out of control.

Michael Owen, an ESPN reporter, closely tied to the Texans’ locker room, had been the source of much of the information earlier.

This time was no exception. "DeShaun Watson is furious about being excluded."

Clearly, the Texans’ quarterback was very, very unhappy with how the drama’s spotlight focused on Hopkins, O’Brien, and Watt, without seeking the opinion of this team’s cornerstone and core member from start to finish. He expressed his displeasure to the management.