Speculation has grown in recent days that Deshaun Watson may want out of Houston this offseason, and it goes without saying that plenty of teams would be interested if that is the case. Tyrann Mathieu, who is one of Watson’s former teammates, thinks three specific teams should be monitoring the situation closely.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said Thursday that Watson has “quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade.” Mathieu seemingly responded to that report with a tweet, and he said the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears should be “all in” on the rumors.
If I’m Saints , 49ers or even Chicago…… I’m all in on this Watson news….
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) January 7, 2021
Watson signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Texans last September. The Texans would have to absorb a $21.6 million salary cap hit if they traded him this offseason, and trades of that magnitude almost never happen in the NFL.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but Houston wouldn’t part with Watson unless the return included multiple first-round picks and then some. If the Pro Bowler did wind up on the trade block, there would likely be more than just three teams interested.
The Texans won just four games this season despite Watson having the best year of his career. He threw for 4,823 yards with 33 passing touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The yardage ranked first in the NFL, and Watson’s 112.4 passer rating ranked second behind only Aaron Rodgers. He also rushed for 444 yards and three scores.
If you want to know how disappointing the 2020 season was for the Texans, just look at the message JJ Watt delivered to Watson after the final game. It wouldn’t exactly be a shock if Watson wanted out.
