DeShaun Watson: Jets Must Do Anything For Trade
The New York Jets are desperate to improve, and nothing will help them more this offseason than trading for Deshaun Watson.
By any means.
That should be the mantra coming out of Florham Park and the New York Jets regarding any potential trade for Deshaun Watson. The Houston Texans have apparently alienated their star 25-year-old quarterback, to the point where he wants out. Incredibly, atop his list of places to go? The Jets.
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Normally, it wouldn’t matter much where an NFL player wanted to go if they remained under contract. This isn’t the NBA. Players don’t have near the power their athletic peers on the hardwood enjoy. However, Watson does have such power, because he possesses a no-trade, forcing the Texans to move him to a specific team if they decide to honor his request.
Additionally, New York and general manager Joe Douglas are armed with a bevy of draft picks. The Jets have the No. 2 and 23 overall picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. If they offered both, plus their second-round choice and quarterback Sam Darnold, that would likely be enough to draw some level of intrigue for Houston’s new general manager Nick Caserio.
While some would argue the Jets need a litany of pieces before contention is even a realistic dream — and those people are correct — none of it matters if they don’t have the quarterback. The quickest way to contention is to solve the most important position in sports, and landing Watson gives them a top-five quarterback. Everything else becomes easier to fix, especially as free agents will look at the combination of Watson and New York as favorable.
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Ultimately, Houston should come to its senses and decide against trading Watson for anything less than Patrick Mahomes. The Texans are an expansion team without him, and after seeing away All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins last spring, doing so with Watson the following year would be both stunningly dumb and incredibly damaging to team and fan base.
But, if the Texans are stunningly dumb, which is definitely in play, and they move Watson, the Jets should be all over this. Losing out on a trade for a potential Hall of Fame quarterback entering his prime would be criminal by football standards, especially if he goes to the Miami Dolphins, who are second on his wish list.
For the Jets, their offseason pursuit of Watson can be summed up in three words. By all means.
