A new frontrunner has reportedly emerged for Deshaun Watson originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
A new frontrunner has reportedly emerged to trade for Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson.
And it’s not the Eagles.
On Saturday afternoon, Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson reported that the Dolphins are now the frontrunner, while the Texans are asking for a ton.
In addition, Robinson reports that the Eagles were somewhat involved, along with the Panthers and Broncos, but Watson’s no-trade clause “has weighed heavily in trade opportunities.” So it makes it seem like those cities were not Watson’s preferred destinations:
The Eagles have been linked to Watson over the last few months so until he gets traded elsewhere, this is a situation worth watching.
Coming into the 2021 season, former second-round pick Jalen Hurts is set to be the Eagles’ starting quarterback but it has certainly seemed like the Eagles have real questions about whether or not he’s their long-term solution at the position.
Because of that and because the Eagles might have three first-round picks in 2022, Philadelphia became a logical landing spot.
Watson, 25, is facing 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct. That has been an obvious hurdle in any potential trade. Robinson reports that teams “have angled for pick protections in any trade, to mitigate a potential NFL suspension or criminal prosecution” tied to these allegations.
Watson has made it very clear that he doesn’t intend to play for the Texans again and after immediate reluctance to trade Watson, the Texans have come around in the last couple of months.
After being drafted in the first round back in 2017, Watson has been tremendous in his first four years in the NFL. He has been a three-time Pro Bowler and last season threw for over 4,800 yards with 33 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.