Deshaun Watson should request a trade to these 5 teams
Deshaun Watson has officially asked the Houston Texans to trade him, and these five teams should be atop his wish list.
As trade speculation has surrounded Deshaun Watson, the list of teams who shouldn’t have some level of interest is far shorter than the list of teams that should (realistically or not). But things have reached the point of no return now, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday morning Watson has asked the Houston Texans to trade him.
The Texans are set to hire David Culley as their new head coach. But as previously reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who they hired did not impact Watson’s desire to leave.
Deshaun Watson hasn’t spoken to new Texans general manager Nick Caserio nor executive Jack Easterby. Watson is moving on and waiting to see where his NFL future takes him. https://t.co/heLvCjpEXu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 28, 2021
Watson just signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension with the Texans in September. With one more year to go on his rookie deal via the fifth-year option, he is essentially on a five-year, $146.54 million deal for an acquiring team (as laid out by Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald). That averages out to $29.3 million per year, with a notable cap charge of just $10.54 million in 2021.
Watson has declared he’ll waive his no-trade clause. So it’s a matter of where he wants to go more than if the Texans can get the huge return they want, and should be able to get for one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
As Watson makes his wish list, or submits his wish list to the Texans now, these five teams should be at the top of his preferred destinations.
5 teams Deshaun Watson should ask to be traded to
5. Washington Football Team
Washington will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, with cap space ($35 million) to pursue a wide swath of options. Matthew Stafford is an easily rumored trade target, with former Lions general manager Martin Mayhew recently hired to the same job in Washington. But Watson is of course younger, and a far better quarterback in a broad sense. If the WFT is going to rescue a quarterback from a bad or changing situation, Watson is the upside pick.
If Washington can add a wide receiver to pair with Terry McLaurin, the rest of their weapons are solid (Antonio Gibson, Logan Thomas). Watson surely sees the change in culture under head coach Ron Rivera, which should mean something to him as he escapes the dysfunction in Houston.