The Houston Texans exercised the fifth-year 2021 club option on the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson, valued at $17.3 million.
Long-term contract negotiations with the two-time Pro Bowl selection are expected to ramp up soon as preliminary talks took place before the start of the 2020 NFL Draft last week.
Watson, 24, is scheduled to make $4.4 million in 2020 after earning $3.8 million last season.
After signing left tackle Laremy Tunsil to a three-year, $66 million extension on Friday, Texans coach and general manager Bill O’Brien expressed optimism about ultimately reaching a deal with Watson.
“Look, I think any time we can try to get something done with Deshaun would be great, but again, these things take time,” O’Brien said. “I don’t want to get into all the details of it. I know there’s a lot out there about where we are. We have a great relationship with Deshaun, we have a great relationship with his agent.
“Very good open lines of communication. Really haven’t gotten into the details of anything right now, but obviously we want Deshaun Watson to be the quarterback here for a long time, so we’ll see how it all plays out.”
Watson is 24-13 as a starter for the Texans. He has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 9,716 yards with 71 touchdowns and 29 interceptions over the past three seasons. He also has rushed for 1,233 yards and 14 scores.
