NFL Insider Not Ruling Out This Team Pursuing Deshaun Watson Trade

Don’t expect the Deshaun Watson rumor mill to slow down any time soon.

Sunday provided two fairly significant reports on the ongoing situation in Houston. Some members of the Texans organization reportedly believe Watson never will take another snap for the team that drafted him 12th overall in 2017. There’s also a report out there indicating Houston already has held internal discussions about potential trade partners in a Watson blockbuster.

The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins both have been identified as potential landing spots given the assets they’d be able to present the Texans. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport also is keeping his eye on another team.

“I would also not discount the Carolina Panthers in this situation,” Rapoport said Monday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “They have the eighth pick, so obviously not as high as say, the Jets or the Dolphins. But that is also a team that needs very badly to solve its quarterback issues and an owner who is not afraid to make big, bold moves.”

Carolina might have swung and missed on its first attempt to replace Cam Newton. Teddy Bridgewater, who signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Panthers last March, was mediocre over the course of the 2020 campaign. It wasn’t a disastrous season from Bridgewater by any means, but it also wasn’t at the level you’re looking for from a franchise signal-caller.

Watson, of course, would be a major upgrade over Bridgewater, and it’s scary to think about the potential potency of an offense featuring the three-time Pro Bowl selection and Christian McCaffrey.