Peter King details multiple trade scenarios for Deshaun Watson
Feb 22, 2021, 1:10 PM | Updated: 1:26 pm
It wouldn’t be a real NFL offseason without a little quarterback drama and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been at the center of it all.
In his latest column, NBC’s Peter King details what a Watson trade could look like in the 66 days leading up to the NFL Draft and reports the Broncos could still be in the mix to land the young quarterback.
Football Morning In America is up! It covers:
• My proposals for what it may take to get Deshaun Watson
• Which calls the Texans are returning (spoiler: none)
• The Wentz trade breakdown, from both sides
• Reader mail, factoidness, 10 Things, morehttps://t.co/GkFYaDi8T7 pic.twitter.com/xVbsCuFUoz— Peter King (@peter_king) February 22, 2021
“Denver does have the ninth pick plus some good young pieces (Garett Bolles?) to offer, and a quarterback with minimal value in Drew Lock, so don’t count new general manager George Paton out,” King wrote.
The Texans don’t have a first-round or second-round pick in the draft this year and aren’t scheduled to pick No. 67 in the third round.
King believes that out of all teams involved in trade talks with the Texans that the Carolina Panthers fit “in many ways” and because the team doesn’t have much draft capital that they could include a quarterback and two veteran players in his trade proposal.
Peter King Proposal: A 7-for-1 deal. Running back Christian McCaffrey, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, receiver Robbie Anderson and first-round and second-round picks in 2021 (eighth and 39th overall), a first-round pick in 2022 and third-round pick in 2023 in exchange for Watson. Houston might push for the inclusion of 22-year-old pass-rusher Brian Burns as a vital part of any deal, which would be a tough giveaway for coach Matt Rhule. Of course, McCaffrey would be tough too.
The New York Jets are another team King could see in the mix, writing a proposal that includes current quarterback Sam Darnold and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. The San Francisco 49ers are also still in play according to King, saying that the team would “be okay entering 2021 with Jimmy Garoppolo, but Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch can’t be totally comfortable with it.”
The Miami Dolphins may also be a team to watch with King writing it’s “logical” for the team to look into Watson considering what they saw from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Peter King Proposal: Miami trades defensive end Christian Wilkins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, first-round picks in 2021 (third overall) and 2023, and second-round picks in 2021 and 2022 for Watson
The moral of King’s column is that if Watson gets traded it might be the highest price ever paid for a player in league history. So are the Broncos ready (and willing) to give up everything?
Pro Football Focus projects the Broncos trading for Watson in their latest mock draft with Denver giving up the ninth overall pick, a 2021 second-rounder, 2022 first-rounder, 2022 second-rounder and 2023 first-rounder.
Again, no major decisions have to be made until April 29, the first night of the draft.