The impacts of a potential Deshaun Watson-Kyler Murray trade

Syndication Arizona Republic
Syndication Arizona Republic /
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What would be the impacts of a Deshaun Watson for Kyler Murray trade?

As the Kyler Murray offseason drama continues to unfold, it’s safe to say that no one has a clue as to if Murray’s future is in Arizona. However, given how skilled Cardinals general manager Steve Keim is in trades, seeing Keim risk his NFL future on Deshaun Watson isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Murray is frustrated after three seasons of disappointing finishes, and Murray most likely wants to secure his first significant contract extension. So enter the Houston Texans, with much more cap space than the Cardinals for the next two years.

It would be fantastic for Houston to trade Watson in terms of cap issues, as getting him off the books would do wonders for maximizing their breathing room. However, Arizona only has $2M of cap space at the moment, and it’d take some magic to acquire Watson in a reunion with DeAndre Hopkins.

A possible Deshaun Watson trade still contingent on results of Watson’s deposition

Watson’s deposition is just under a week away, and the results of that will bring more clarity into what’s going to happen to his future. In the meantime, if Murray were to land in Houston, he’d get an offense that actually has an offensive coordinator with Pep Hamilton.

Murray’s ability to scramble and juke the souls out of defenders would be a problem that the AFC South hasn’t had to deal with yet, another bonus for Houston.

As for Watson, he’d potentially get a reunion with Hopkins and J.J. Watt. In addition, Zach Ertz and James Conner would instantly be one of the NFL’s most formidable offenses if Watson is allowed to play. As for how likely a quarterback-for-quarterback trade would be?

Not very likely, but there have been a handful of examples of teams sending their disgruntled signal-callers away in a trade. So it’s been done, but this is unprecedented in terms of the hurdle that Watson faces.

Set a reminder on the calendar for the 22nd of this month. It’s going to get interesting once the deposition is complete.

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