Possible Watson destinations
Now that Deshaun Watson officially has requested a trade from the Texans, a look at some potential trade partners:
New York Jets
The Jets are regarded as one of the more realistic contenders.
New York has four firstround picks in the next two drafts, including the No. 2 overall selection this year, along with roughly $70 million in salary cap space in 2021. The Jets also have quarterback Sam Darnold under a rookie contract and have two third-round picks this year.
The Jets hired Robert Saleh, one of the head coaching candidates Watson wanted the Texans to interview.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are an attractive destination with strong leadership in coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier.
Miami has two firstround picks and two second-round choices, including the third overall pick obtained from the Texans in the trade last year that sent left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Houston. The Dolphins are an ascending team, and Florida has no state income tax.
Miami has a quarterback with upside in Tua Tagovailoa, but that could be a deal-breaker for the Texans. Tagovailoa, a former Alabama standout who had his moments during his rookie season, isn’t viewed by the Texans as an adequate replacement for Watson, according to multiple league sources.
The Texans are considered far more likely to draft a quarterback such as Ohio State’s Justin Fields or BYU’s Zach Wilson to replace
Watson than to swap him out for Tagovailoa.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ intricate playbook orchestrated by Kyle Shanahan is tailormade for Watson’s passing and running skills.
San Francisco hasn’t had a quarterback of Watson’s caliber since Joe Montana and Steve Young.
Watson led the NFL in
passing yards last season and threw 33 touchdown passes despite being sacked 49 times on a 4-12 squad.
The 49ers could offer elite defensive end Nick Bosa as part of an extensive package involving Watson and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Another wrinkle: Garoppolo, 29, is due $24.1 million in 2021 and has a no-trade clause.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Should new coach Urban Meyer try to wheel and deal with the Texans for Watson?
It would mean getting an established quarterback in Watson and losing the chance to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall. The Texans wouldn’t want to face Watson twice annually.
The Jaguars do have two
first-round picks, two second-round selections and a pair of fourth-rounders this year.
New England Patriots
It’s hard to envision Bill Belichick entertaining a huge trade for Watson despite the struggles of Cam Newton as Tom Brady’s replacement last season.
But the Patriots do have roughly $54 million in salary cap space available and the 15th overall pick of the first round.
Belichick and Watson have a lot of mutual respect.
Plus, there are a lot of connections between New England and the Texans, given the presence of exPatriots staffers Nick Caserio and executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby in Houston.
Las Vegas Raiders
Jon Gruden has stuck with Derek Carr for years, and he hasn’t gotten enough wins in return.
Gruden is a huge Watson fan, and it’s no secret he’s annually weighing his options at the position despite Carr’s steady production.
There’s no state income tax in Nevada, and there’s the glitter of Las Vegas to consider for Watson, as well as playing with running back Josh Jacobs and tight end Darren Waller.
The Raiders likely would need to send Carr and two first-round draft picks to the Texans to have a chance to land Watson.
Atlanta Falcons
Watson is from nearby Gainesville, Ga., making this his hometown NFL team. He’s a former Falcons ball boy.
The Falcons have the No. 4 overall pick of the first round but have a tight salary cap given the presence of 35-year-old quarterback Matt Ryan.
This seems like a major long shot, but one scenario would involve the Texans sending Watson to the Falcons for their next three years of first-round picks and more while agreeing to take on Ryan’s contract. Ryan has a $40.9 million salary cap figure in 2021, and the Falcons are $31 million over the projected cap.