J.J. Watt is free of Jack Easterby’s clutches. The star lineman successfully forced his release on Friday morning, with the team cutting him instead of waiting for a trade.
“We have mutually agreed to part ways at this time,” Watt said Friday after it was reported the Texans had let him go.
He thanked Texans fans and staffers in a Twitter video.
Conspicuously unmentioned was Houston vice president Easterby, who appears to have a grip on Texans owner Cal McNair and therefore the franchise.
Watt’s counterpart on offense, quarterback Deshaun Watson, had asked out of Houston months ago. It’s a sign of how middling the trade market was for Watt that the team granted his wishes and released him.
After a dominant 2018 season with 16 sacks and seven forced fumbles, Watt has not quite been the same player. In his ninth and 10th seasons in the league, he totaled just nine sacks.
His departure comes within a week of the Texans firing several longtime staffers and president Jamey Rootes quitting. Easterby, a preacher and “character coach” with other teams, has driven off or alienated key leaders with the team since joining less than two years ago.
