Will the Texans Trade Deshaun Watson?

What went wrong?

Deshaun Watson has been amazing since being drafted by the Texans" 12th overall in 2017. He had become the long-awaited answer at quarterback for Houston, and was on pace to become NFL rookie of the year in 2017, but suffered a season-ending injury. Since then, Deshaun has been nothing short of consistent, even putting up his career-best numbers in 2020 with 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. As a result, the Texans signed him to a four-year contract with a no-trade clause included.

Shortly after signing his new contract, the Texans began the search for a new head coach and general manager after the firing of Bill O"Brien. Deshaun was told by Houston owner Cal McNair, that he would be heavily involved in the hiring process, and that the goal was to build the team around him. The Texans would go on to break that promise by hiring former Patriots GM, Nick Caserio.

Deshaun wasn"t happy, but he still wanted to be involved in finding a new head coach, with reports saying he wanted the Texans to hire Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, which would"ve been a great hire. Instead, the Texans elected to not even interview Bieniemy, but rather hire former Ravens wide receiver coach, David Culley.

Shortly after, Deshaun requested a trade and told the media that he wouldn"t play for the Texans again. The Texans during the offseason tried to negotiate with Watson about his future in Houston, but Deshaun was having none of it. Part of Deshaun"s contract is a no-trade clause, which simply means that if he were to be traded, he gets the final say as to where he goes, which is perfect for his situation now. Deshaun did show up to training camp but refused to practice with the other QBs, practically cementing his stance that he won"t play for Houston.

Who Wants Deshaun?

When the news first broke that Watson wanted out, lots of teams were interested. However, the main three were the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, and Denver Broncos. It was evident that a trade would happen soon, but then Deshaun got into some legal trouble that made teams question his availability. Deshaun currently has 22, yes 22, lawsuits being filed against him for sexual misconduct at massage places.

However, as of today (10/27/2021), the legal battle has stalled, meaning that Deshaun could be traded. Houston however, has been indecisive about trading Deshaun this year. During the offseason they felt confident that a deal could be reached with Deshaun and refused to answer any calls regarding a trade, as of late, it"s been revealed that the Texans" asking price is at least three first-round picks, as well as later picks. It"s a rather high asking price, but if they can get it, it"ll help the rebuild tremendously.

The Panthers have recently dropped out of the race for Watson, but it seems as if Miami is the only one. There have been reports that a trade could be done, rumors say it could be a three-team trade in which Miami gets Watson, the Texans get draft picks, and the Washington Football Team gets Tua Tagovailoa. Other sources have claimed that a trade is not in the works, so it looks as if we"ll have to wait and see.

Final Thoughts

As a Texans fan myself, I don"t want to see Deshaun go, but with all the front office drama Houston has, it"s easy to understand why he wants out. I feel as if the Dolphins will trade for Watson as they have shown the most interest, and Deshaun stated he would like to play there. If not Miami, then I predict the Broncos, Steelers (if Big Ben retires this offseason), or the 49ers.

I hope you enjoyed this article and as always you can find me on Twitter @KeganCrawford

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