How much will a trade for Deshaun Watson really cost?
After the Rams traded for Matt Stafford, the entire league began to wonder how much the other big name quarterback supposedly on the market would cost, so we’ll try to break it down for you.
The Los Angeles Rams traded a four year vet, who led his team to the Super Bowl in Jared Goff, two first round picks and a third rounder in exchange for Matt Stafford. This trade did not only come as a shock to many, but also set the standard for trades for this offseason. Taking all into account, Deshaun Watson should cost significantly more than Stafford, because of his age, talent and repertoire within the league. This being said, it is a no brainer assuming that the Texans could get multiple first rounders and players for the star quarterback.
So with this high price, who should pursue a trade for Watson. This offseason has and will be one for quarterback movements, especially since there are so many free agents along with a loaded draft class in the quarterback position. Therefore, which teams would be desperate enough to trade the house for Deshaun? A few team you should watch in the next several months are the Panthers, Patriots, Broncos, Washington and the Jets. There are reportedly handfuls of teams inquiring Houston about a potential trade, but the realistic trade destinations are teams with high draft picks, high cap space and teams desperate for a big talent quarterback right now. Teams with high draft picks because of the value in those picks and the easy opportunity given to Houston to replace Watson easily, with that one pick and then the chance to gather more players with more picks they would inevitably collect through a trade. Also, teams with high cap space are on this list because of Deshauns expensive contract, and rightfully so. And lastly, teams desperate for a stud under center and may be that one spot away from a playoff or even championship birth.
The magic of the NFL is that we don’t know where a player will land until he actually does, then all the hot takes predicted where he will become freezing cold in a matter of seconds. Of course we will always wish the best for players stuck in an uncertain situation where they are no longer happy, but we are also extremely excited to see how the dominoes fall in relation to the National Football League offseason.