With the Quarterback carousel in full swing after the Stafford trade earlier this month, the most intriguing change will be where Deshaun Watson ends up at the end of it. As many as 10 teams will be being in the running for Deshaun this offseason, some more than others but I have ten teams making an effort to have Watson be their starting quarterback in 2021 and beyond.
Houston Texans
Yes his current team still want to retain Watson at all costs, they have made it publicly known that they do not want to trade Watson but after the team traded away his best receiver and linemen away the previous two years he has demanded a trade and in the player empowerment era he will most likely earn that trade, even if he has to holdout until midseason. I personally do not see a way Watson stays in Houston but crazier things have happened.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville holds the number one pick in the 2021 draft and to get Deshaun they would have to send that pick and couple more to Houston. The Jags have an ample amount of cap space open to support Deshaun's new contract but the loss of picks might add up to be too expensive for the team moving forward. The likelihood of Deshaun ending up in Jacksonville is slim to none but never say never.
Pittsburgh Steelers
This ones tricky, first of all they have Big Ben Roethlisberger taking up 45 million dollars of cap space in 2021. While it is easy enough to just have Ben retire to save that cap hit that would mean he would have to call it quits before he feels like it should end. As far as getting Watson after Ben retires would require a haul of picks from the next few years, the Steelers are set up to win now and with the right quarterback they could be a dangerous team next year.
San Francisco 49ers
The team that would be arguably the best if they upgrade their quarterback to Watson is the 49ers, that being said the path for him to get to San Fran is the most unlikely. Teams don't want to make it public that they are looking for a replacement to not ruin the esteem of their current starter, Jimmy Garoppolo who they have under contract through the 2022 season. Although the team won't carry to much of a dead cap hit after this season trying and failing to get Watson could make Jimmy G want out of San Francisco sooner rather than later.
Denver Broncos
Denver is in a similar place as San Fran regarding egos of their own QB but they could be primed to get Watson. Yes he isn't the prototypical six foot five plus QB John Elway has always gone for to be their starter, but Watson is better than every QB they have had since Peyton Manning combined. Put Watson on this young team and they immediately become a contender in the AFC. Trading intraconference is not the best thing to do for Houston but the return they can get for Watson might be worth it, but the question is, will they?
New England Patriots
While the Cam Newton experiment didn't fail Deshaun is a major upgrade over the former MVP who is past his prime. New England is picking the highest they have since Belichick took over in 2001 but they are not high enough to take one of the top 5 QB's of the draft this season. This might not be a preferred destination for Watson considering the supporting cast the team has to offer, boasting zero offensive pro bowlers this past season. The cap is no issue but Watson would have to lift his trade clause and that seems unlikely for New England
New York Jets
You can almost copy and paste the Jaguars section into this one with two differences is that they would have to give up less picks if they include Sam Darnold in the trade and Deshaun has made known that New York is a preferred place to go.
Chicago Bears
This one would be the second most embarrassing trade a team could make since 2000 after they passed on Watson in 2017 to take Mitchell Trubisky number two overall. Would it make sense? Yes! If it is worth to the Bears? That is yet to be determined. the defense is built to win now, the offense around the quarterback is built to win now but they need someone better than Watson to lead the team past the wildcard round.
Miami Dolphins
We talked about the second most embarrassing trade that could happen, lets talk about the number one spot. Now this one isn't embarrassing for Miami, it's embarrassing for Houston, let me explain. Houston traded for Laremy Tunsil in 2018 for two first round picks to protect Watson, one of those firsts turned into the 3rd pick of this years draft which Miami would trade to Houston to get Watson to go to Miami along with Tua Tagovailoa and some other picks. This trade is very likely but it isn't my favorite.
Carolina Panthers
I am most excited about this potential trade as long as Carolina doesn't have to give up Christian McCaffery. The trade has been discussed with three firsts and McCaffery but hopefully its not the final proposal. Watson to the Panthers wouldn't make them immediate contenders but they would essentially be a cornerback away from a championship team. Carolina had two 1,000 yard receivers, a decent pass rush, and breakout stars, them being Brians Burns and Jeremy Chinn, this past season.
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