According to Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are not interested in any players who have participated in anthem protests recently. The news comes after the Texans were poised to spend big money in Free Agency this year and were a very attractive destination. However, if these allegations from Solomon are true, the Texans might have just taken themselves off many players list.
The Texans and owner Bob McNair have had some comments that have been either stretched the wrong way, or literally meaning what was said, however after the specific “inmates running the prison” comment from McNair the team started to become more divided and the losing streak started (Most likely due to a Watson injury). The team wasn’t 100% fully there. Many had expressed their opinions on these comments, and players even planned a protest as well to get back at the owner. Since these incidents, McNair has apologized, but the damage had already been done. The Texans were ready to take the next step into championship contention by signing some big named free agents this year, and two agents from players have told Jerome Solomon that they have received pushback from the Texans due to protest issues. The Texans have said they will help Watson and give him the protection and weapons he needs, but depending on the players who are available, if they are truly taking away players who have protested, it may not bode well for the Texans as far as upgrading talent.
However, the Texans will continue to look for talent no matter what to support the offense and defense to build a true competitor. Whether this report is true, or an opinion piece from Solomon as these agents never said that their clients were denied, it was more of a “word on the street” (From his actual piece). The report could be false, and more of a speculation due to the mishaps with Duane Brown and other comments this year. Or the report could be true, and Bob McNair took another step in the wrong direction. We will keep you updated as more information is released in the report.