Eric Christian Smith / Associated Press
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson reportedly has some interest in a deal with the Denver Broncos of San Francisco 49ers.
Friday on ESPNs Stand up, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that Watson is “intrigued” by the Broncos and 49ers:
Fowler also said he was told that Watson is “probably not” too interested in trading the New York Jets and would be in favor of a move to the Miami Dolphins over New York.
Despite Watson’s desire to be traded, the Texans have told interested teams they won’t be moving their franchise quarterback, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Houston is under no obligation to trade Watson, as he is under contract until 2025, but the threat of a lunge if Watson really insists on not playing with the Texans again.
Losing a franchise quarterback to Watson’s ilk would be devastating. However, the Texans could benefit from the pull of draft picks Watson was likely to land, especially since they won’t be picked until the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Between the Broncos and 49ers, Denver could probably offer Houston a bit of a better package, as it holds the No. 9 in the 2021 design compared to San Francisco’s No. 12.
The Broncos also have overall pick # 40 in the second round and # 71 in the third round. The Niners have No. 44 in the second round and have no choice of the third round.
Denver has set a losing record in four consecutive seasons and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015, but it has some talent on offense that Watson might be able to use better than incumbent starting quarterback Drew Lock.
Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, KJ Hamler and Tim Patrick, as well as the tight Noah Fant, would all benefit from Watson’s arrival.
The 49ers only went 6-10 last season and missed the playoffs, but they’re probably much closer to the championship battle than Denver.
San Francisco made it to the Super Bowl in 2019, but major player injuries derailed the 2020 campaign. With the Niners, Watson would gain the backing of an extremely talented defense – as well as wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and tight-sided George Kittle to move to. to throw.
It’s possible that Denver and San Francisco are Watson’s favorite destinations, but the Texans probably prefer to trade him in for the dolphins or jets, if possible.
Miami owns two picks in the first round and two picks in the second round in 2021, including number 3 overall, while the Jets own number 2 overall and number 34 in the second round.
A trade with one of these teams would help the Texans reload quickly as they could potentially take their new franchise quarterback right away, but since Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, Houston will be at the mercy of changes course and try to trade him.