As the Deshaun Watson trade rumors heat up, which teams realistically could make a trade?
Ever since Deshaun Watson has declared his dislike of the Houston Texans for trading away DeAndre Hopkins and then hiring a new General Manager and Head Coach without consulting him. Throw in the fact that they ignored a search firm’s ideas, and then the 20-plus accusations of sexual misconduct and this is a nightmare recipe for any team to go through.
There were rumblings of the Miami Dolphins being involved early on, and then the Carolina Panthers joined. Former teammates tried to speak on Watson’s behalf of his desire to become a Denver Bronco. The Texans can trade him to anyone they want, but there is a catch.
Watson has a no-trade clause that basically gives him the final say in where he goes. As long as the team isn’t anything in terms of the quality of the Houston Texans, then chances are he’s going to take that one-way ticket out of town.
This list is going to include some teams that haven’t been discussed as trade partners, but in a way could have anywhere from a small to very likely chance of trading for Deshaun Watson. These eight teams will be ranked from least likely to most. These are just projected trades, and when November 2nd comes around who knows who will land Watson.
Should the Texans have traded Watson earlier in the year? Would it have been beneficial to trade him before the draft, perhaps getting a first-round pick? Maybe that would have solved some of the on-the-field woes the Texans are having.
The seventh and seventh-most likely teams to trade for Deshaun Watson:
The Giants are an unlikely destination based on the fact that they seem to be heavily invested in the future of Daniel “Danny Dimes” Jones. Jones has had some bursts of athleticism over the past three years but arguably hasn’t had much help until this season.
Acquiring Kenny Golladay in free agency and the on and off nature of Saquon Barkley has given the offense some life. Kadarius Toney has also contributed. The key thing here in this potential trade is the fact that the Giants have two first-round picks in this year’s draft (their own and Chicago’s).
This seems to be part of what Nick Caserio wants, and if next year’s first-rounder is added on, then this becomes a goldmine of a trade.
This could be the trade that sets Houston up for the long run.
Seattle had dealt with their disgruntled quarterback, with Russell Wilson being told to kick rocks after asking for some protection after being one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in the entire league. Wilson even went as far as to list the teams that he would love to be traded to, including the Chicago Bears taking the top spot.
Seattle doesn’t have a pick in the first round this year, but they do have first-rounders in 2023 and 2024. It’s not the greatest package for Caserio and the Texans, but maybe getting a swap of Russell Wilson for Deshaun Watson is a good consolation prize. While unrealistic, depending on how the behind-the-scenes gobetween Wilson and GM John Schneider, the Texans may pull off the rare swap.
Brandin Cooks gets added into the mix to help make this trade a done deal. Can you imagine that passing trio of D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Brandin Cooks?
The fifth and fourth-most likely teams to trade for Deshaun Watson:
The Philadelphia Eagles are similar to the Miami Dolphins in that they are playing head games with the quarterbacks they drafted not too long ago. It has yet to be revealed if Nick Siriani can guide this team to a respectable record and maybe even the playoffs.
Could the Eagles swap their quarterback for Watson? Jalen Hurts has upside if handled with care. The problem is that there isn’t much help outside of Zach Ertz, oh wait. At least Dallas Goedert is still there. But that’s about it. Here’s what a potential trade would look like:
The Eagles have everything the Texans want in terms of draft capital, and just about any player can be inserted here. Hargrave is one of the best emerging talents at the defensive tackle position, and Sanders is an upgrade over David Johnson and Rex Burkhead.
The Broncos as mentioned earlier would be a place that is apparently on Watson’s list of desired locations to end up. That’s according to one of his former teammates, Could Watson be the piece that revives the Broncos franchise that hasn’t been back to the postseason since they won Super Bowl 50?
This Broncos roster is hard to choose from when it comes to which players come to Houston. The only one super desirable is Patrick Surtain, the highly coveted rookie out of Alabama that slipped to Denver in the draft. Houston may only be able to one first-round pick if they choose to go after PS2.
The top three most likely teams to trade for Deshaun Watson:
Probably one of the most interesting teams on this entire list, the Washington Football Team has some great things to offer as well. Taylor Heinicke (who spent time in Houston briefly) might just be emerging as a franchise quarterback. He was the one QB to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers close last season en route to their championship run.
The Texans go defense here and swing for the fences with an offer for Chase Young to come and hunt quarterbacks in the AFC South. Pairing him with Jonathon Greenard who is having a great year, there may just be the building blocks of a stout defensive line. It’s up to Washington on what to do with Heinicke.
We’re starting to get into serious territory here. The Panthers made a clear signal when they benched Sam Darnold last week in a loss to the New York Giants. When you start 3-0 and then end up 3-4 seemingly overnight, your season is going well.
Carolina has plenty of defensive options, and given how bad the Texans’ secondary has been, they could sure use some of Matt Rhule’s best players. Jeremy Chinn could help that, and if the Texans would want to bring back A.J. Bouye, then that is an option as well.
All these projected/possible trades lead us back to Miami, the team that’s been dominating the list of the best landing spot for months now. Owner Stephen Ross is so hungry for a championship that he is willing to do any and everything to make that happen.
This is where the Texans can get the most for Deshaun Watson, and that’s no surprise. The real question is, would the Texans acquire Tua Tagovailoa?
There is no way the Texans make this trade without having a quarterback come their way. Jacoby Brisset is not the player he used to be, and Reid Sinnet (Miami’s other backup quarterback) was recently picked up by the Eagles on waivers.
Mills would most likely be benched here, as you have to see what Tagovailoa can do in a different setting with a team that wants him. At least Tagovailoa is more mobile than Mills, so there is a bit more on the offensive edge.