The Deshaun Watson saga will likely take at least several more twists and turns before it’s finally resolved, and we’ve got a couple of new updates to pass along. The Texans are still insisting they have no plans to trade the star quarterback, but that hasn’t stopped teams from trying.
When/if the Texans finally relent to Watson’s trade demand, he does have some leverage in the form of a no-trade clause that can prevent him from getting dealt somewhere he doesn’t want to be. But it sounds like Watson’s main priority is getting out of Houston, and he won’t be too picky about a new destination. “Let me be very clear about this: I think Deshaun Watson is going to be open about where he’s traded to. I don’t think he’s going to veto too many teams. He wants to go anywhere other than the Texans,” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com said recently, via Barry Jackson and Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.
That makes it sound like unlike Matthew Stafford, who reportedly wanted to go play for Sean McVay and the Rams, Watson will just be happy to be anywhere else. There was a report last week that Watson would prefer the Jets to the Dolphins, but clearly he doesn’t feel all that strongly about it. That certainly could make facilitating a deal a lot easier. Additionally, it looks like the Dolphins could be emerging as a favorite to land him despite their recent commitment to Tua Tagovailoa.
Jackson and Beasley write that the “sense among league power brokers at this week’s Senior Bowl” is that “Miami is Watson’s likeliest destination.” Going further, one source told them that “Miami is seen as the front-runner behind the scenes.” The Dolphins have a boatload of draft capital and also a young quarterback they could trade, although there have been some reports that Houston might not be that interested in Tagovailoa.
If the Texans don’t want Tua, Jackson and Beasley float a scenario where the Dolphins package picks with shutdown corner Xavien Howard, who they write is “expected to ask for a trade” if he doesn’t get the new contract that he’s seeking. There are a lot of moving parts here, and we should know a lot more soon so make sure to check back.
Tag and Trade Dak + 2 1sts and 2 2nds.
Nobody is going to do that.
Hes coming off a horrific ankle injury.
Already franchised once at 31.4mill and will cost close to 35-40 mill on a 1 year deal.
Nobody is giving up 2 1sts and 2 2nds for Dak.
Cowboys best bet is offer him a lesser deal long term hoping he takes it. 25 mill a year is a reasonable offer
2 year 50 mill deal with opt out after 1st year.
I’m guessing the original poster was suggesting trading Dak, two firsts and two seconds for Watson. I might be wrong, but that’s how I read it.
Thanks for the assist.
How i read it too
I think be goes to the Jets or the Dolphins, I’m sire other teams will be trying but I just think they have the most to offer. Could see Chicago, Washington and Carolina going hard after him but ultimately coming down to Dolphins or Jets. Can’t count out Indi either but I have a feeling they land Matt Ryan.
Yes you can count out Indy. They wouldn’t trade him in their own division
Any of those you mentioned would be including 3 1sts at the very least and one good young player. Think dolphins and jets would have the easiest time making the trades based on draft capital. Dolphins and jets could then trade darnold and tag for additional picks to another team to offset what it would cost to acquire Watson.
Texans receive:
Howard
2 firsts uncluding their own pick back for tunsil.
Miami receive:
Watson
Texans then draft a qb with 3rd overall wilson/fields
Miami trades tag to bears for a 1st and a 2nd rounder.
Yea I agree. I think it for sure comes down to one of those two. I can see the Dolphins being more aggressive personally.
Xavien Howard would bring down the draft capital the dolphins send back to the Texans. Makes no sense to trade a disgruntled QB only to trade for a disgruntled CB looking for a new contract and be paid top tier money. Pass.
Tua, the #3 pick, the #18, Dolphins 3rd rounder this year and next year, dolphins 4th this year and next year.
Trade the #3 to QB needy team like Dallas for the #10 and more draft capital and trade the #10 to someone looking to trade up for Zach Wilson if he’s there. Acquire more draft assets.
Texans are in need of draft capital and trading back from #3 into the 20s this year to stockpile draft picks this year, 2022, and in 2023 is way to restart the rebuild and be done, hopefully, for the 2023 season.
Dallas wouldn’t be the destination for the 3, but the rest of what you said I think is spot on. Howard will be happy for a day or two in Houston and go back to asking for a new deal-but that’s speculative. What is not is that Houston desperately needs draft capital. If they get Howard and give up picks, then they’re left with no picks and no franchise quarterback either. They’d end up essentially dead in the water. If Houston is giving up its franchise star, they are doing it to replenish their draft capital and for no other reason.
I do want to note the irony of O’Brien giving up those picks for Tunsil (and trading away Clowney for a pittance supposedly to save money for Tubsil’s contract), just for his tenure to cost the team Deshaun Watson right after. Now they have a very expensive left tackle who was very expensive to acquire with no quarterback for him to protect.
I picked Dallas because I see them picking up Fields instead of paying Dak and using the Dak money to improve the defense via free agency.
Lions could certainly be a candidate to trade up given their new draft capital from Stafford to grab Fields. sit behind Goff for a year or 2, and then go from there.
Broncos could trade up from 9.
Long shot but Patriots or Bears could mortgage the future. Bill usually has trouble with 1st and 2nd rounders and finds talent elsewhere draft, free agency, UDFA. He certainly could trade 1st and 2nd rounders to grab his preferred QB. But he’d probably bring back Jimmy G if anything.
If Watson is traded, there’s no reason at all to keep Tunstill around. He’s worth a draft pick or 2 to a team…and Houston gains the cap space.
$65 million is Watson and Tunstill. Draft a young OL to go with the “Mormon Mahomes”.
Agreed, hence the irony. Houston would try of course, but I doubt they recoup the full trade value of the picks/player value they lost to make this rebuild happen (Tunsil picks, Clowney, and Hopkins as players, plus maybe D.J. Reader if you consider their reluctance to offer him a big deal as part of the saving money for Watson and Tunsil). Now they may lose the two cornerstones of that rebuild in Watson and Tunsil, and end in a place of worse value. It’s a lesson in forcing a vision onto reality, I suppose.
That’d be a smart play. I don’t think a shutdown CB really helps a team void of a lot of talent all that much. They need numerous quality players at this point.
I hope Miami doesn’t trade for him.
The impact of trading a ton of draft picks plus the effect of Watson’s cap hit would be brutal on the team’s ability to fill out the roster.
They need to stay the course, draft offensive weapons, and see what Tua can do in 2021.
Watson for Tua + #3 overall and Miami’s first rounders in 2022 and 2023 and a mid round pick
Reports are they don’t want Tua
don’t think the dolphins would have trouble flipping tua. colts would gladly give a first for him
According to John McClain it will take at least 2 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 young defensive players. That’s the start.
Yippie ki yay
Dolphins can offer more than the Jets may be willing to. Miami is sound on both sides of the ball already. The addition of a WR and they are set. Jets have way too many holes to fill and would surprise me if they outbid the Fins.
The Dolphins still have big needs on both sides of the ball.
On Offense they need:
– Field stretching WR
– Slot WR
– Feature RB
– Center
– Maybe a RT
On Defense they need:
– Inside LB (maybe 2)
– Edge Rusher
– D Tackle
– Safety
If Miami trades a bunch of top picks, they’ll end up where the Texans are now… they’ll have a great QB but not enough talent or cap space to get to the Super Bowl.
Package with #2 overall and Darnold or #3 overall (your pick back) and Tua? #2 overall guarantees them Penei. Bookends with Tunsil and Penei should be hard to pass up. Darnold could be salvaged.
Watson will not be traded. Reason 1: If traded this early in his contract, the cap hit against the Texans would be in the $20-$30 million range. What new GM wants to tell his owner that he traded his best player and paid over $20 million to do it. Who does that? Then in return you aren’t going to get anything close to fair value. Watson won’t sit out because it would cost him game checks. He has zero leverage.
Cap hit doesn’t equal pay. If he has a big cap hit like that, it’s probably in the form of a signing bonus he received when he initially signed the new contract. The future years that normally is spread out over then accelerates back onto current year cap and you see the value of it minus whatever was on this year as a cap hold for that signing bonus
3 1’s, 2 2’s, a 3 or 4, DEF players, and cap relief is TOTALLY worth it with regards to franchise foundational and financial health.
Texans fans can thank Jack Easterby for the Watson and Watt situations. Don’t let this guy escape the blame he deserves.
Miami seems to be the Favorite because of Tua on a cheap contract still. Darnold is about to get paid. The only way I see Jets getting Watson is if the over pay for him. Jets would need to offer Darnold, #2 pick, Q Williams, M Becton and another #1 pick. Are the Jets willing to do that to keep him from Miami probably not.
Exactly. I despise that man. I feel for Cal because he believes every word out of his mouth.
I blame O’Brien more for creating the situation than I do Easterby because the latter is only rumored to have done so. We saw what O’Brien did because it was on record. The Easterby stuff, while definitely believable, is still pretty unsubstantiated by solid fact.
Easterby is quickly becoming the shadowy boogeyman who will be the blame sponge for years to come as fans ignore the missteps of other actors. One person doesn’t bear responsibility for all of this on his own. There were multiple failures from multiple people in the front office, one of whom (the one most responsible) is now fired.
As a GM you need to get Watson and his agent to agree -in writing- on the teams he will go to, otherwise you are just wasting your time and cannot get the best deal for the TEXANS (and of course your own future).
The Texans should take advantage of all the breathless media hype over Watson (a guy that never won a game that mattered) and get enough assets to speed their rebuild (picks AND/OR young players). In addition to a couple high draft picks, I would ask the trade partner for a couple young players with potential who are currently sitting behind a star on their roster (3rd cornerback/safety, 3rd guard/tackles, etc), as good rosters have backups that are nearly as good as the starters – and the Texans’ roster is devoid of quality backups.
Watson is the best example of why wins/loss is a beyond stupid way to evaluate a player.
If I’m the niners, colts or Washington – I’d be on the phone with Miami trying to pry Tua or the 3rd pick which ever is not dealt. I see Tua as game that knows how to win!
I don’t understand why Watson doesn’t just say he’s not waiving his no trade clause unless the team he wants to go to doesn’t have to give up too many first round picks or other draft capital plus players. He has the power to in a way dictate where he wants to go if he wants to use that route. I believe he gets fined for sitting out OTAs but I don’t believe the Texans will just let him sit out while fining him and letting the situation become such a distraction that that the whole team locker room will just deteriorate.
The 49ers are the best fit for Watson and it isn’t even close.
5 team trade
Dolphins get: Matt Ryan picks: 35,70
Broncos get: Carson Wentz pick: Phi 22 3rd and cash to cover salary
Falcons get: Deshaun Watson
Eagles get: Tua Tagovailoa picks: 105,136
Texans get: Drew Lock picks: 3,4,68,99, Atl 22 1st
Dolphins do this: Gives them a starter to replace a rookie they aren’t sure of. Texans get their pick back in the first round leaving the Dolphins with 18,36,50,82,114,183 along with picking up 35(atl) and 70(phi). Texans get the pick because it would go to Atl for trading Matt Ryan this way it goes directly back to Houston. Thus the Dolphins get Atlanta 2nd and Philadelphia 3rd for trading Tua and taking on salary.
Dolphins don’t: Why give the Texans the pick? Tua could be a stud? Why not trade directly for Watson?
Broncos do this: Trade a quarterback they aren’t sure of for another guy that hasn’t proven anything on his own and is also injury prone, but when healthy is more dangerous, both tied for leading the league in int, and has a larger salary along with giving up a 4th and 5th round pick. Future 3rd round pick and salary relief help.
Broncos don’t: see above, but if they did Wentz leading a healthy Broncos offense could put up 5,000 yards and 60 TD 5 Int, Lock would put up 3,200 with 24 TD 14 int. Broncos probably give Lock one more year draft an o-lineman with pick 9 then see where they land next year before getting a “franchise qb” in 22.
Falcons do this: Get Watson and only give up picks 4,35,68,99, and a first in 22 along with finding a spot for Matt Ryan.
Falcons don’t: Ryan is an icon in the city and could lead them back to the super bowl if Julio stays healthy and the defense stops. Trading 4 rounds of picks plus a future first for a qb that showed he can only do so much by himself this year might be an overpay.
Eagles do this: Get another top ranked qb on a good salary that you can rotate if that’s truly your new strategy left behind from Pedersen. Hurts and Tua could be a great 1-2 qb puch the league hasn’t seen. It only cost the 70 pick, along with getting Wentz out of town, a future 3rd and some salary relief, but do pick up Denver 105th and 136th selections in the 21 draft.
Eagles don’t: Wentz is better than Tua why trade for a qb when the Eagles could see what Hurts can do on his own? Why give up 2 3rd round picks just to get a 4th and 5th and have to give salary relief?
Texans do this: Watson doesn’t appear to want to play for a franchise that traded it’s best wr for a bag of moldy beans a year ago and continues to disrespect him as a person. Getting picks 3,4,68,99 and a 22 1st from Atl will go a long way with a rebuild and getting Lock is a decent stop gap for a year. Or they could use pick 3 or 4 on a qb in this draft and use Lock as a backup. This gives many options for the direction the team can go, while further down might be the way at the moment they still have a few players that should make for a faster rebound.
Texans don’t: Because they try as hard as possible to work things out with Watson and the qb situation is resolved and no
trade on their end needs to happen, and 22 and beyond they see eye to eye and all personal issues are resolved for the betterment of both sides.
Now that is…an interesting theory. And possibly the longest post I’ve ever seen (and I’ve written a few). It’s actually a pretty interesting read, as unlikely as it may be to pan out.
Good read, intriguing ideas, but I doubt that the Dolphins move to acquire an aged QB as a stopgap during an ongoing rebuild. They’re close, but haven’t signaled that they’re in win-now mode quite yet. They seem to still be patient and not necessarily forcing the issue that acquiring Ryan would signal. Also, Wentz is too expensive to move. I like your do/don’t set up a lot. I just doubt those moves occur, personally.
Thanks ak185, guess the Falcons didn’t like the offer and had to say Ryan’s not going anywhere…yet haha