Veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans have been one of the centers of controversies since the 2021 NFL offseason. Watson may be currently healthy, but the Texans don’t seem to have any plan of letting him play this season. Though Tyrod Taylor went down with an injury, the Texans opted to use third-string quarterback Davis Mills instead of Watson.
While they are focusing on the development on their young players, the Texans are also active on the trade market finding their disgruntled player a new home.
Deshaun Watson Linked To Saints
In the past months, Watson has already been linked to several NFL teams who are rumored to be looking for an upgrade at the starting quarterback position. On Twitter, Barry Jackson of Miami Herald shared an update on the rumors surrounding the controversial Texans quarterback.
Citing Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Jackson tweeted that multiple general managers around the league still consider the Miami Dolphins as a "primary suitor" for Watson, while some of them believe that the New Orleans Saints could emerge as a "dark horse" for the disgruntled player.
Potential Saints’ Trade Package To Acquire Deshaun Watson
In a recent article, Vincent Frank of Sportsnaut came up with a hypothetical blockbuster trade idea that would enable the Saints to acquire Watson from the Texans. In the proposed trade scenario, the Saints would be sending a package that includes Michael Thomas, Marcus Williams, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 first-round pick to the Texans in exchange for Watson.
The suggested deal would be worth exploring for the Texans. By dumping their disgruntled quarterback to New Orleans, they would be getting a quality wide receiver in Thomas, a great defender in Williams, and two future first-rounders that they could use to add more young and promising talents to their roster.
Is A Deshaun Watson-To-Saints Trade A Possibility?
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Saints really decide to pursue Watson on the trade market. The Saints may currently have Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback, but most people don’t see him as their permanent replacement for Drew Brees, who retired this summer. Though he has somehow shown some improvement with his game, Winston remains inconsistent on the field and still doesn’t earn the trust of Coach Sean Payton.
Despite the controversy that he’s currently involved in, a healthy Watson would undoubtedly be a major upgrade over Winston at the Saints’ starting quarterback position.
Will Deshaun Watson Waive His No-Trade Clause For The Saints?
The trade package that consists of Thomas, Williams, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 first-round pick would definitely be enough for the Saints to convince the Texans to engage in a blockbuster trade. However, before they could execute any type of deal, the Texans would first need to ask the permission of Watson.
Watson has a no-trade clause on his contract that gives him some power to control his next destination. In a recent article, Zennie Abraham of Oakland News Now shared a controversial reason why Watson won’t waive his no-trade clause for the Saints.
"Deshaun Watson has zero interest in coming to the Saints because he knows the move would only be to disrupt Jameis Winston from landing a big contract as the Saints signal caller," Abraham wrote. "Watson is more than aware of the racism that has been aimed at Jameis Winston, and wants zero part of a situation where he would be hurting another black quarterback."
