ESPN Reporter Puts Together A Package To Get Deshaun Watson To New England

It’s no secret that Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is unhappy with the team, so ESPN’s Seth Walder proposed a trade to get the 25-year-old star to New England.

And after looking at the offer, it makes a whole lot of sense.

“I legitamely think roughly 25 teams should consider trading for Watson,” Walder said. “But let’s go with the Patriots. They need a quarterback, are out of range of the top tier in the draft, and have the cap space to absorb Watson–though he isn’t expensive in 2021–and spend to make improvements elsewhere. To land him? It’ll take a lot to beat out the other teams interested. I’m dealing running back Damien Harris, the RFA rights to J.C. Jackson, this year’s first, second, fourth, and fourth round picks plus 2021 first and third rounders. And Jarrett Stidham, if they want him. But the upside? Pairing football’s greatest coach with a top-5 quarterback again.”

Deshaun Watson has “quietly broached with teammates” the possibility that he may request a trade from the Houston Texans, per @ProFootballTalk pic.twitter.com/xSTk98OdM2

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 7, 2021

In total, New England would end up losing their starting running back, their backup quarterback if they re-signed Cam Newton (which they won’t), a starting corner, this year’s first, second, and third-round picks, plus next year’s first and third-round picks.

It’s a absolute wagon of a haul for the Houston Texans. So would the Pats agree to it if this deal came to fruition? In a heart beat, and here’s why:

Value

Special quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady don’t come around often. They have an ability to gel flawed rosters, as likely MVP Aaron Rodgers demonstrated this year.

The Packers came into the 2020 NFL Draft with a glaring need at receiver. Yet the team decided it was a bright idea to draft QB Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick and neglect that other skill position. It was a complete waste of a draft pick that did nothing to improve their offense in the short-term, so Aaron Rodgers decided to be special to make up for a lack of assets. That’s what special quarterbacks do.

This is where the Deshaun Watson comes into play for the Patriots, a team that clearly need a special quarterback. Former Texans’ star receiver Andre Johnson also backed Watson regarding his frustration, which helps Watson’s cause:

If I’m @deshaunwatson I will stand my ground. The Texans organization is known for wasting players careers. Since Jack Easterby has walk into the building nothing good has happened in/for the organization and for some reason someone can’t seem to see what’s going on. Pathetic!!!

— Andre Johnson (@johnson80) January 12, 2021

“The texans organization is known for wasting players careers.” Johnson tweeted.

Even if Deshaun Watson were hypothetically moved to New England this offseason and the Pats roster was dog water until 2023 (when the team gets to draft again), Watson would still only be 27-years-old. They would then be perfectly positioned for a title run before Bill Belichick calls it a career.

Bill Belichick never wastes a career. The Patriots can handle missing pieces because they are a dominant organization. The Texans are not. Not many organizations can afford to waste assets to acquire one great player, but the Patriots can.

So should the New England Patriots mortgage the next two years for a 25-year-old top-5 quarterback? You bet. Bring Deshaun Watson to the New England Patriots, and you got yourself a contender.