Gruden says ‘you’ll have to give up seven No. 1s’ to acquire QB Watson
Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden seems convinced Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson isn’t going anywhere — despite his organization being the latest team to be linked to the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Gruden was a guest Tuesday on a podcast hosted by Cris Collinsworth and Richard Sherman and was asked what it would take to acquire Watson after the Los Angeles Rams sent two first-round picks to the Detroit Lions in the Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade.
“I personally look at this like a fantasy world here,” said Gruden. “They have a new [general manager in Nick Caserio] in Houston who comes from New England who just went through a year in New England without Tom Brady. I think he has a pretty good idea how important Deshaun Watson is to the Texans.
“I don’t think there is any way in the world they trade Deshaun Watson. And if they did, the compensation is going to be like ... they’d have to give up seven No. 1s. They’ll never draft again.”
Gruden thinks the rift between Watson, widely regarded as a top-five quarterback in the league, and the Texans will work itself out in the end.
“I just think there’s a lot going on,” he said. “Deshaun’s a great player, he’s a great kid. I’m sure he’s very emotional right now for a number of reasons — on and off the field. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to be a great quarterback for a long time in Houston. He’s already signed that contract and he’ll be a big part of that rebuild.”
Several NFL analysts believe Watson’s relationship with the Texans is irreparable after Watson removed the team from his social media accounts over the weekend — the latest sign of his discontent with the franchise.
The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets also have been linked as possible destinations for Watson, who has been unhappy with the direction of the Texans organization for some time.
The 25-year-old Watson, who has formally asked the Texans to trade him, is coming off his best season despite the Texans winning only four games. He had career highs in yards (4,823), completion percentage (70.2 percent), yards gained per attempt (8.9) and touchdowns (33).