Deshaun Watson’s next team if Houston Texans trade him? Ranking the NFL’s 31 potential suitors
Watson officially wants out of Houston.
According to multiple reports, Watson is furious about the way the franchise conducted its search to replenish the front office – specifically its belated interview of Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for the head coaching post. The Texans plan to hire Baltimore Ravens assistant David Culley as previous coach Bill O’Brien’s replacement.
Per ESPN, Watson is also upset by the organization’s lack of commitment to the social justice movement.
Owner Cal McNair was in damage control mode at Caserio’s introductory press conference earlier this month, saying, “I’ve come to understand that it’s been reported that Deshaun feels left out of the (hiring) process, but he and I had several visits and I understood his point of view before meeting with candidates. I’ve reached out to Deshaun about Nick’s hire and I look forward to him getting back to me when he returns from his vacation.”
Caserio could only praise Watson, offering: “He’s our quarterback.”
Watson hasn’t said much since the season ended, offering a few cryptic tweets.
Replacing Drew Brees might not be so simple
WHAT WE LEARNED:32 things from divisional playoffs
So when I saw one betting outlet offering Watson trade odds for all 31 NFL teams, the obvious reaction was to have fun with this whole debacle and do a league-wide reality check. If Watson does indeed force his way out of Houston, here’s a viability ranking of every other team as it pertains to obtaining him – listed from ludicrous to lovely.
What might happen if New York Jets don’t take quarterback at No. 2
23. Indianapolis Colts: Division rival … so forget it. (And why would Caserio solve the one area vexing highly capable Colts counterpart Chris Ballard?)
COLTS’ NEXT QB? Eight names to consider
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Given Justin Herbert seems perched to collect offensive rookie of the year honors and likely to be on a cost effective deal for another two to three years, the focus of GM Tom Telesco and new coach Brandon Staley should rightly be elsewhere.
a seamless transition from Drew Brees. Unfortunately, the Saints generally draft at the bottom of the first round (28th this year), and their cap is in shambles. Untenable.
17. Las Vegas Raiders: Though Watson would be an upgrade over underrated Derek Carr, whose brother David was ruined by the Texans years ago, offense ain’t the reason the Silver and Black have been coming up snake eyes.
16. Cleveland Browns: Fun to consider what this team could become with a more multi-faceted QB than Baker Mayfield. But the Texans would need a lot more in return than the native Texan – and given the course Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry have charted in Cleveland, hard to see them sacrificing their ability to build out the roster even for a player of Watson’s caliber.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Minkah Fitzpatrick opportunity aside, they’re typically tight-fisted with high draft choices. Even if Mike Tomlin and GM Kevin Colbert wanted to pursue a golden opportunity to supplant Ben Roethlisberger, who will be 39 in March, they’d have to blow up a chunk of Pittsburgh’s roster to accommodate Watson’s salary.
newly hired GM George Paton wants to do is compromise his fairly appealing roster and player acquisition flexibility … even if to fix the one position predecessor John Elway never could stabilize post-Peyton Manning.
9. Dallas Cowboys: All signs indicate they’ll eventually get a long-term deal done with pending free agent Dak Prescott, who wouldn’t cost Jerry Jones anything more than the hefty paychecks that are coming to Prescott one way or another. Still, it would be unlike Jones to not at least have a backroom skull session to explore the Watson scenario which – even though he could likely fit within Dallas’ salary structure as snugly as Prescott – would almost surely be cost prohibitive in terms of assets that would have to be shipped to Houston.
willing to part with longtime QB Matthew Stafford, who hails from Texas, and could offer this year’s No. 7 pick – it would very likely afford Houston the ability to draft a blue-chip quarterback prospect – as part of the package. Be one heckuva way for new Lions GM Brad Holmes to get out of the gate.
Lovely
4. Carolina Panthers: Charlotte is also fairly close to Gainesville, and the cap calculus is pretty easy for the Panthers to navigate. They’d have to ante up numerous picks (including No. 8 this year), probably placeholder QB Teddy Bridgewater and maybe some promising youngsters – LB/S Jeremy Chinn? DE Brian Burns? But if it means teaming Watson with RB Christian McCaffrey, WR DJ Moore and coach Matt Rhule, who has the job security to make such a bold move, why not? Especially when you can reel in all those Clemson fans …
3. San Francisco 49ers: They’re constantly fielding rumors about Jimmy Garoppolo – who, incidentally, has two years remaining on his deal and wouldn’t cost the Niners even $3 million in dead cap dollars to trade. The question is what else would GM John Lynch, who’s hardly afraid of a calculated risk, be willing to provide? He’d have to bundle more picks than the No. 12 selection, while likely giving Caserio options among upcoming players like WRs Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, DT Javon Kinlaw … heck, maybe even DE Nick Bosa. Unique dynamic that would demand creativity, but Watson is worth some outside-the-box thinking.
2. New York Jets: Would Caserio arm the Pats’ longtime rivals (to the degree this is actually a rivalry) with No. 4? The Jets own the second pick of this year’s draft plus Seattle’s first- and third-rounders and also have the Seahawks’ No. 1 choice next year (thanks, Jamal Adams). New York could send QB Sam Darnold to Houston – he could be a tantalizing reclamation project amid a roster rebuild – and maybe even be coerced into surrendering stud DL Quinnen Williams, 23. Compelling options for both sides and apparently also for Watson. According to the Miami Herald, the Jets are the preferred destination for Watson, who would like to play for New York’s newly hired head coach, Robert Saleh.
1. Miami Dolphins: The symmetry might be too much to pass up. Imagine if Caserio could reclaim – at the very least – the Round 1 (No. 3 overall) and Round 2 selections O’Brien exported as part of the deal for Tunsil right before the 2019 season – while presumably also flipping Watson for Tua Tagovailoa. For an ascending team like the Fins and a decimated one like the Texans, could be an ideal resolution for both parties. That same Miami Herald story reported the Dolphins would be Watson’s second choice if he’s unable to land with the Jets.
***
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis
If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Do the right thing, sign up now!