NFL Rumors: Saints, Bears & Patriots Among Top Destinations For Deshaun Watson If Traded, Per ‘CBS Sports’
Following the Houston Texans‘ recent organizational changes, rumors started swirling regarding quarterback Deshaun Watson’s future with the team. With this in mind, CBS Sports published a list of potential landing spots for the 25-year-old signal-caller, including the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots.
As explained on Thursday by the outlet’s Cody Benjamin, the Saints stand out as a possible destination for Watson despite their tight salary-cap situation because the organization is about to enter “uncharted territory” as it prepares for Drew Brees’ inevitable retirement. Given how backups Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston might not be ready to take over as a No. 1 quarterback, Benjamin speculated that Watson “would surely tweak his own deal,” with the club likely willing to offer several future draft picks and/or surrender a top contributor in order to acquire the Texans star.
In his entry for the Bears, Benjamin wrote that the team could theoretically “correct” the move that is widely seen as general manager Ryan Pace’s “biggest error” — its decision in 2017 to use the No. 2 overall pick on Mitchell Trubisky, who went 10 spots before Watson but has frequently struggled in his first-string role since then. The CBS Sports writer added that trading for Watson could be a very popular move in Chicago, as it could give the Bears a “bona fide franchise signal-caller.”
As for the Patriots, the six-time Super Bowl champions recently failed to make the postseason for the first time in over a decade, with Cam Newton unable to return to pre-injury form as Tom Brady’s replacement behind center. According to Benjamin, it would be a trade typical of head coach Bill Belichick if New England is able to turn things around in the 2021 campaign by acquiring Watson from Houston.
“Watson, for his part, would assuredly embrace the transition to a longtime contender. And then there’s the front-office connections: The Texans just made Patriots lifer Nick Caserio their new GM, granting New England a clean path to trade talks.”
As reported separately by NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, Watson was described as being “extremely unhappy with the organization” following Caserio’s hiring. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport suggested that the quarterback was more upset with how the Texans, contrary to what was supposedly promised, did not involve him in the process of hiring someone to replace Bill O’Brien, who had served as the team’s general manager and head coach before he was fired in October. It has also been rumored that Watson has already spoken to some teammates about his desire to be traded.
