Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is one of the young NFL superstars set to get paid a boatload of money on a new contract.
There have been rumors that contract talks between Watson and the Texans have been happening. Even if his head coach won’t talk about any of that.
On Saturday, Watson confirmed them while making it clear his main focus is preparing to play for Houston this season.
Stats don’t lie: Deshaun Watson is an elite NFL quarterback
In just three short years, Watson has established himself as one of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks. He possesses the rare combination of athleticism and pure quarterbacking that allows him to buy time in the pocket while continuing to look for open receivers downfield.
Watson is also responsible for some of the most jaw-dropping highlights the league has to offer in recent years (like this).
All told, in his first three seasons (38 total games), Watson has passed for 9,716 yards while completing 66.8% of his attempts, throwing 71 touchdowns and just 29 interceptions. He’s also piled up 1,233 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
How much could Deshaun Watson’s new contract be worth?
Patrick Mahomes recently set a new benchmark by signing the richest contract in NFL history. It’s worth about half-a-billion dollars and averages over $45 million per year before factoring in any incentives.
Could Watson see anything close to that kind of cash on his impending long-term contract extension?
A recent report indicated he may not be too far behind what Mahomes earned. Watson could command around $40-42 million per year on average, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Even better, he’s reportedly angling for a short-term deal that would allow him to get another monster payday well before his prime is up.