Could Deshaun Watson Go Home to Continue Pro Career?

They say you can't go home again.

As it turns out, that might not apply to Deshaun Watson. The former Clemson quarterback, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday, is being pursued by the Atlanta Falcons.

Watson hails from Gainesville, Ga., which is located 50 miles from where the Falcons play their home games.

The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to acquire Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, league sources tell @mortreport and me. The Falcons join the Panthers, Saints and Browns as teams that have met with, or are interested in, trading for Watson. More to come on ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2022

According to the report, it won't be "easy" to get Watson to Atlanta. The Houston Texans quarterback requested a trade last year before he had 22 lawsuits filed against him by women who allege sexual misconduct.

With criminal charges not coming, it's believed to have opened up the trade market for Watson, who has already met with the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also interested in Watson before Tom Brady decided to return to football.

That means every team in the NFC South has at least checked in on the QB. The Falcons' interest might be because of the pursuit from the Panthers and Saints, and Atlanta might just be exploring its options or driving up the price and picks it'll take to obtain Watson.

However, they could provide great appeal for Watson to join a team that doesn't have many quality offensive pieces as some of the other interested parties. A chance to return home could be too much to turn down.

The Falcons, who are listed at +600 on FanDuel Sportsbook to win the NFC South, currently still have a franchise quarterback in Matt Ryan, who is under contract through 2023. Ryan recently restructured his contract to help the Falcons shave off $12 million on the 2022 salary cap.

This is an intriguing option that could reshape any of these franchises. It'll be interesting to see just how serious Atlanta general manager Terry Fontenot and the organization are about bringing Watson home.

He set numerous state football records at Gainesville High School and won a state championship before going to Clemson, where he led the Tigers to back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff and one national championship victory during the 2016 season.

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