Another day, another team rumored to be in the running for Deshaun Watson.
Right on Super Bowl Sunday, a report dropped from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done “extensive homework” on Deshaun Watson and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in case they make a trade for either quarterback.
Trying to replace Tom Brady is a tough task, and Watson and Wilson are still some of the best quarterbacks in the league, despite Watson sitting out the entire 2021 season and Wilson missing a significant amount of time due to a finger injury.
There is more to the Buccaneers attempting a trade for Watson. Watson has had 22 accusations of sexual assault or misconduct and also has his deposition date on February 22nd, just nine days after Super Bowl LVI.
The #Bucs have done extensive homework on #Texans QB Deshaun Watson and are also one of multiple teams expected to explore a potential trade for #Seahawks Russell Wilson, according to @RapSheet and @TomPelisserohttps://t.co/OjGF5XbWcb pic.twitter.com/DcNW07vPzb
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 13, 2022
It’s not surprising that Tampa Bay wants to trade for Deshaun Watson
As long as Bruce Arians is the head coach of the Buccaneers, Arians will always want to work with a veteran quarterback who is established and developed. It’s one of the reasons that Arians pulled his pseudo-retirement from the Arizona Cardinals after the 2017 season concluded.
Arians didn’t want to work with a rookie quarterback and then joined the Buccaneers two years later. Now faced with either starting Blaine Gabbert (who was with Arians in Arizona in 2017) or trading for either of the quarterbacks above, it’s easy to see what Arians tendencies are.
Arians also lives under the “No risk it, no biscuit” mentality. This could be why he and GM Jason Licht trade for Watson, potentially not being fazed by Watson’s legal situation. If Nick Caserio is reading this, it’s time to take whatever Tampa Bay may offer for Watson.
This has brought down the morale and the energy in the building for an entire year, and to start the rebuild Caserio so truly desires, trading Watson and letting someone else deal with the potential fallout.