This Houston-Washington Deshaun Watson trade offer could actually work

As things may be cooling on the legal front for Deshaun Watson, could the Washington Football Team make a deal for the Texans quarterback?

Amid the drama with Aaron Rodgers and his own legal situation that had gone publicly quiet, it feels like eons ago that Deshaun Watson was trying to get traded by the Houston Texans.

With the 20-something lawsuits he’s facing for sexual misconduct possibly moving toward a resolution, trade winds have started around Watson again. Albert Breer of SI.com has pointed to the Miami Dolphins as a team not to ignore in that conversation. The Texans are not saying anything, and head coach David Culley may have said it all by saying nothing last weekend at rookie minicamp.

Watson’s situation, and questions about what the NFL will do apart from legal circumstances, assures the Texans won’t get peak value for one of the league’s best quarterbacks. But according to FanSided’s Matt Lombardo, multiple executives brought up three teams as potential Watson destinations. The Dolphins, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Football Team.

What would a Washington-Deshaun Watson trade look like?

With a strong defense and a broader base of offensive talent in place, Washington might be a high-end quarterback away from being a legit Super Bowl contender this year. They re-signed last year’s playoff starter Taylor Heinicke and signed Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency, while not drafting a possible quarterback of the future.

If they wanted to entertain it, Washington is a dark horse destination for Aaron Rodgers. Shifting back to Watson, here’s an offer one executive laid out to Lombardo.

Two first-round picks is still the baseline price to get Watson. Trading McLaurin would be a tough proposition for Washington, but the signing of Curtis Samuel in free agency and the drafting of promising wide receiver Dyami Brown would help offset the loss. The defensive line depth they have makes it easy to absorb the loss of Sweat.

There are plenty of questions and hurdles right now for any team that may have a Watson trade on its radar. But Washington is well-positioned to make the move, and leave the rest of the NFC East in their dust.