Good luck to any team trying to trade for Deshaun Watson. Franchises interested in the star quarterback apparently will need it.
The quarterback carousel has been turning despite the start of the new NFL year still a few weeks away. We’ve seen Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz find new homes, but Watson, who reportedly wants to move on from the Texans, currently remains in Houston.
There’s been no indication that the Texans have made Watson available for trade, but that hasn’t stopped teams from calling about the 25-year-old signal-caller. Those organizations reportedly haven’t gotten anywhere with their respective pursuits. In fact, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, the Texans haven’t even acknowledged the inquiries.
“Over the weekend, two common themes emerged about Houston’s near future. One: The Texans have one untouchable player, Watson, as of now. Two: Houston is not only not interested in trading Watson but also not interested in listening to offers for him,” King wrote in his latest Football Morning in America column. “At least two teams have given offers to Houston and gotten zero feedback. Like, no reaction, no ‘We’ll get back to you.’ Nothing.”
Of course the Texans don’t want to trade Watson. Quarterback arguably is the most important position in all of professional team sports, and Houston has one of the best in the game. But there’s a chance Watson could put the Texans’ feet to the fire, as he reportedly is willing to sit out the entire 2021 season if his trade request is not fulfilled.
With this in mind, Houston might want to start opening up the phone lines. The 2021 NFL Draft is roughly two months away, and there are a few teams with a top-10 pick this year that could be interested in trading for Watson. One of those teams, the Carolina Panthers, reportedly is in the process of clearing up the salary cap space needed to bring in Watson and also would be willing to include superstar running back Christian McCaffrey in a blockbuster deal.
At some point, the Texans might be forced to cut their losses and try to make the most of an undesirable situation.
