NFL
Deshaun Watson Reportedly Has an AFC East Team Ready to Rescue Him From Houston
Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sportscasting in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots. Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways. Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and a master's in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.
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While the Houston Texans remain firm (at least publicly) that they do not plan on trading Deshaun Watson, a number of NFL teams have already expressed interest in potentially acquiring the disgruntled quarterback.
Considering his status as one of the league’s top signal-callers, that shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, rarely does a player of his caliber become available.
While the Texans haven’t officially opened up their phonelines for business, they should be prepared to take a phone call from an AFC East team that reportedly wants to make Watson the new face of their franchise.
Deshaun Watson desperately wants out of Houston
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It’s no secret that Deshaun Watson wants out of Houston. Despite signing a lucrative contract extension back in September, he has no desire to keep collecting paychecks a member of the Texans.
And the franchise only has itself to blame.
Despite Watson’s desire to play for a new team, the Texans have yet to pull the trigger on trading away one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL.
In fact, Nick Caserio already went on record as saying the franchise has “zero interest in trading the player.”
Still, that hasn’t stopped rumors from swirling about a potential deal involving the three-time Pro Bowler. Coming off the best season of his young career, Watson’s value is at an all-time high.
Houston could obviously garner a king’s ransom for a quarterback who might only rank behind Patrick Mahomes in terms of pure talent. Several teams can offer intriguing packages centered around multiple first-round draft picks.
And one of those franchises has reportedly made it clear that it plans on pursuing Watson.
The Texans QB may soon become the new king of the AFC East
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For the Texans, trading away Deshaun Watson represents a nightmare scenario. But unless he pulls a 180, it seems like the former Clemson star will stand firm in his desire to escape from Houston.
Finding a fair trade package for the uber-talented quarterback might not be so difficult. The New York Jets hold the No. 2 and No. 23 overall selections in the 2021 NFL draft. Plus, Sam Darnold could be viewed as an enticing high-upside reclamation project.
However, while the Jets certainly should be in the mix for Watson, one of their AFC East rivals has reportedly declared themselves an official potential suitor for the disgruntled QB.
On Saturday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald delivered an important update about the Miami Dolphins and their interest in Watson.
“According to a source with direct knowledge, a high-ranking team official has told at least one outsider that the Dolphins expect to be in the mix to acquire Watson if the Texans make him available,” Jackson wrote, per Yahoo Sports.
The Dolphins reportedly did not indicate what they believe their chances are of acquiring Watson. And while the unnamed team official also did not divulge what the franchise is willing to offer in a potential trade, it certainly seems like we can count Miami in as an official contender in the sweepstakes to steal away one of the most gifted signal-callers in the NFL.
Should the Dolphins trade away valuable assets to land the disgruntled NFL star?
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For Dolphins fans, the idea of seeing Deshaun Watson under center (or in the shotgun) has to be exciting. Yet, if he ends up starting in Week 1 in a Miami uniform, that means the team will have moved on from a quarterback many expected to be the face of the franchise for years to come.
Trading Tua Tagovailoa may sting for those who purchased his jersey, but Miami shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on sending the former SEC star to Houston. Sure, the southpaw signal-caller possesses star potential. But his rookie season didn’t exactly cement his case as the quarterback of the future.
On the other hand, Watson represents a proven commodity. And at 25 years old, he might even have room to improve. The Dolphins will undoubtedly have to part ways with both of their first-round picks in order to convince the Texans to send Watson to South Florida. And tossing in Tua also seems like a given.
In the end, though, that deal could easily work out well for all parties involved.
Watson will become the new king of the AFC East playing for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Plus, the warm weather and lack of a state income tax can’t hurt, either.
As for the Texans?
They can use their newfound draft capital to build around a quarterback who many expected to go No. 1 overall if not for his gruesome season-ending hip injury.
Seems like a win-win in my book.
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