The possibility of Deshaun Watson being traded would make the NFL world spin.
It’s been one of the most anticipated trades in recent memory. Now almost a year (if not further) into his displeasure with the Houston Texans franchise, Deshaun Watson wants to be done with Houston and play somewhere else.
Earlier during the season, seven different destinations were ranked for Deshaun Watson to land. However, that list has changed and ballooned to nine different, realistic teams that could all make a run at the embattled Watson.
Before we get to the nine teams that are destinations, it’s worth talking about why there are only nine on that list. This is because 22 of the other teams don’t make the list as their current quarterback situation is taken care of, in the process of being handed to a younger guy on the roster, or have explicitly said that they don’t want anything to do with Watson (such as the New York Giants).
These are ranked from least likely to most, and cap considerations will be taken into effect. Spotrac’s “Manage Roster” tool will be how the calculations are performed. Also, these trades ignore whether or not Watson has waived his no-trade clause for that team or not.
Without further ado, the least likely, yet realistic team that could trade for Deshaun Watson:
9th place: Would the Cardinals do a Kyler Murray-Deshaun Watson swap?
It would be a wild thing to see Deshaun Watson reuniting with DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt in Arizona, Houston Texans fans would most likely despise this move, but there is one caveat to the previous statement.
Would trading Watson for Kyler Murray be the way to go? Especially if the Texans can hire someone like Kevin O’Connell from the L.A. Rams to come in and energize the offense. Here’s the trade:
Arizona is the only NFC West team to have a first-round pick this year, and they could make this trade happen with a base salary restructure of Watson’s contract. But, unfortunately, that would only leave them with roughly $5M in cap space- so Cardinals GM Steve Keim would have a lot of extra work to do to help Arizona keep its championship window open.
Arizona is unlikely to ship Murray somewhere else with one year left on his rookie deal unless his fifth-year option gets exercised. That’s why it’s a win for the Texans here- they could get two years of an electric QB on a rookie deal; that would be interesting to see what kind of magic Murray could make in his home state with a different head coach.
No offensive line help is acquired in this trade as Arizona’s best lineman is Rodney Hudson, and they’re not going to let him go. However, Baker is an excellent replacement for Justin Reid.
The Houston Texans’ 8th ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Las Vegas
The 2021 Las Vegas Raiders are what the 2020 Houston Texans were. Tons of drama with players in legal troubles, a fired head coach, and many other things made the Raiders miserable all year. While they did make it into the playoffs, there has been some speculation about whether Derek Carr will be in the Silver and Black next year.
This isn’t a quarterback swap as in our last trade, but the incentive for the Raiders to get rid of Carr is staggering. Per Spotrac, if Las Vegas were to release Carr, it would save them nearly $20M in cap space this year. So what’s the trade look like?
The Raiders would still have ~14M in cap space, whereas Houston has ~31M. The Raiders get their quarterback and a dynamic weapon in Brandin Cooks, and the Texans get a good package of offensive help.
Kolton Miller has quietly become one of the top tackles in the league and could be moved inside or over to right tackle. Jacobs would be the best running back the Houston Texans have had in years. Add in a draft pick of Kenyon Green, and this offense for Houston will be humming.
The Houston Texans’ 7th ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns have had a roller-coaster experience with Baker Mayfield ever since selecting him first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. While Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski got a playoff appearance out of Mayfield in 2020, this last season cast serious doubts about whether Mayfield is the franchise passer.
Looking at the AFC North, this is a competitive division with the Baltimore Ravens and the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals who are currently the AFC’s representatives in Super Bowl LVI. However, depending on what the Pittsburgh Steelers do at quarterback, they could return to the force that they were for the last 18 years with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm.
As for Cleveland’s cap situation (click here to see the full roster), they’d have ~14M with Mayfield still on the roster. Maybe Cleveland would find somewhere else to send him. The Browns can eke out a few signings to help Watson.
Houston gets a ton of offensive help but is down to ~7M in cap space. It would be tough for Houston to do much of anything in free agency without renegotiating some contracts. Caserio delivers on a Herschel Walker-like compensation for Watson.
The Houston Texans’ 6th ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Atlanta
Growing up in Gainesville, Georgia, Deshaun Watson had to have watched Michael Vick growing up. Especially after former Atlanta Falcons player Warrick Dunn helped give his family a home when Watson was a child, the chance to go home and play for the Falcons might be a welcome opportunity for Watson.
As for the Falcons, this is a tricky way to get Deshaun Watson back home, but here’s the trade with further steps listed below:
The Falcons would have to release Matt Ryan and Grady Jarrett ($24M in savings) and restructure Watson’s base salary. Houston would have just about $28M in cap space, which is plenty of breathing room. Caserio could build around Davis Mills this year and give him a great chance to improve.
Atlanta would still have Kyle Pitts and Cordarelle Patterson on offense, and Pitts is really just a wide receiver with TE designation. Pitts and Watson would light up Atlanta for years to come.
The Houston Texans’ 5th ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Pittsburgh
With Ben Roethlisberger officially retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers could make a move for Deshaun Watson. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as a head coach, and he’s definitely not going to have one in the 2022 season.
That’s why Tomlin and Steelers GM Kevin Colbert are going bold in a suddenly uber-competitive AFC North. Tomlin has been able to get a lot out of his offense, even with how bad Roethlisberger was this year. So imagine what Watson could do with Tomlin’s scheme.
The Steelers send away quite the boatload of picks as they have a championship window that’s closing quickly. But, with T.J. Watt tying the single-season sack record last year, the defense is there. They just need a football version of “run support” as pitchers in baseball get.
Watson would be able to score early and often. The duels between him and Burrow would be must-see primetime TV. As for the cap implications, the Steelers could renegotiate Watson’s base salary to balloon their cap space to just about $31M.
Houston would have close to $20M.
The Houston Texans’ 4th ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Seattle
With how much Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wanted to get out of town last year, it would only make sense that a Watson-for-Wilson swap happens in the 2022 offseason. Wilson is getting tired of how much negligence Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider have given towards their franchise.
Years of drafting the most random players in the first round or trading back and not getting protection has driven Wilson crazy. Watson still has the mobility and speed to overcome a bad offensive line, and the NFC West is a highly competitive division. Watson would make Seattle playoff contenders once again.
It’s important to remember that the New York Jets have Seattle’s first-round pick this year, so that’s why the earliest pick the Texans can get is their 2nd round pick this year. That would put Seattle into the same position Houston was last year in the draft, where Houston’s first draft pick didn’t happen until the third round.
As for the cap situations for both teams, Seattle sits around $9M in cap space. But, of course, a renegotiation for Watson could always happen. Likewise, Houston wouldn’t be too far off, with near $11M in cap room.
The Houston Texans’ 3rd ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Tampa Bay
Another team that just had their starting quarterback retire in Tom Brady, Tampa Bay still has plenty of pieces to make another Super Bowl push. If there’s anything that Bruce Arians loves to do is gamble uncontrollably (like blitzing instead of covering Cooper Kupp). That’s why Tampa comes in so high on this list.
A lot is going on here when it comes to the cap considerations. This article done by Spotrac details how Brady’s retirement affects Tampa Bay’s cap situation. Sticking to what the article said about Brady’s 2022 cap hit most likely being $8M, a restructuring of Brady’s salary was made to that number.
The Buccaneers also restructure Watson’s salary to have a final cap space of $22M to work with. Houston has `$15M after a pretty good trade package. Mike Evans was not an option as the Buccaneers would most likely want to keep him while trying to re-sign Chris Godwin to make another postseason run.
Ali Marpet would help the interior of the Texans’ offensive line, an area that struggled mightily last year. Keeping Mills from getting as sacked as much as he did in 2021 will be one of the most-watched units in 2022 for Houston.
The Houston Texans’ 2nd ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Washington
The curious case of the Washington Football Team. Taylor Heinicke’s story is inspiring, and after his heroic efforts to take Tom Brady to the wire in the 2020 wildcard playoffs, Heinicke fell back to earth.
Is Heinicke the future for Washington? Most likely not. Even Washington’s head coach, Ron Rivera, hinted that they’re not totally out on the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes just yet. Washington’s division is the NFC East, and it was one of the worst (if not the worst) divisions in the NFL last year. So how can Washington pull off a trade for Watson?
Houston gets a good replacement for Justin Reid and some much-needed cornerback help. In addition, Antonio Gibson is a dynamic runner who can also be effective in the passing game. With the picks Houston acquires, a wide receiver to go alongside Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins would give Houston a respectable trio of pass-catchers.
For the cap space, it would take another restructure of Watson’s contract, and Washington could get back to $21M if they went that route. Houston would have $20M in cap space afterward.
The Houston Texans’ top-ranked Deshaun Watson destination: Carolina
After Miami formally shut the door on Watson coming to town, Carolina becomes the top destination for him to go to. The Panthers have been through some recent quarterback play that has been not very good at all. Imagine a potential Watson-led Panthers offense with Cam Newton as a goal-line/wildcat QB.
Matt Rhule has been feeling the pressure of the lack of offensive production (that’s going to happen when your first draft is all defensive players). As for the trade, here it is:
Houston gets Jaycee Horn, one of the 2022 Draft’s most coveted corners. Shaq Thompson will anchor the defense, and Taylor Moton can help the offense stay on the field. Carolina has about $8M for the cap hits after a Watson restructure. Houston has just under $15M.