Texans rumors: Deshaun Watson wants to play for Broncos

According to one of his former teammates, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson wants to jump ship and land with the Broncos in 2021.

We’ve known for some time Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson wants out. And while his off-field legal proceedings have quieted down a bit, the speculation and wonder about where he’ll take snaps in 2021 certainly haven’t.

If anything, they’re likely to increase with Watson not attending Houston’s voluntary organized team activities, which surprised no one.

The bulk of the offseason quarterback carousel was mostly settled during this year’s NFL Draft and immediately afterward, but that apparently hasn’t stopped Watson from eyeing a new suitor.

And according to one of his former teammates, Watson wants to join the Denver Broncos.

Deshaun Watson to leave Texans for Broncos this season?

Longtime Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson, who now is with Denver, recently told former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib of the Catchin’ Fades Podcast (h/t ESPN) that Watson is highlighting the Broncos as a preferred playing destination:

“I’ve got a great relationship with Deshaun,” Jackson said. “I’ve been talking to him the last couple of weeks, man, and like, all he’s been telling me is like, ‘Jack, just tell ’em, like, that’s where I want to be.’ … He’s like, ‘I want to be in Denver.'”

Jackson and Watson played together in Houston from 2017, Watson’s first year in the league, through 2018 before the former joined the Broncos.

So, what makes Denver such an enticing possibility for Watson?

For starters, the Broncos’ quarterbacking situation is anything but set. Denver didn’t use its first-round draft pick on a quarterback, instead electing to go with Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and the team is currently hinging its hopes on signal-callers Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater.

While it’s not necessarily quite time to close the door on Lock, a 2019 second-round pick, only a fool would suggest Watson isn’t a clear-cut massive franchise-changing upgrade over Lock.

And considering the Broncos have to deal with a Kansas City Chiefs team boasting quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice a year, perhaps the only way to make that work out in Denver’s favor would be to land a quarterback of Watson’s ilk.

The Broncos have a quality core of pass-catching weapons, namely wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, which could also be another enticing reason why Watson would want to jump ship.

Seeing Watson match up regularly against Mahomes would also be pretty exciting, too.

Even if it meant Texans fans would have to watch their former star quarterback shine elsewhere, while Houston is trying to engineer what promises to be a long and painful rebuild.