Watson Watch Getting More Serious
While the notion of a 25-year-old franchise quarterback getting traded still sounds almost unfathomable, there's more and more speculation with each new report that it's just what might happen with DeShaun Watson.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter suggested as much in a tweet Sunday morning.
And this, of course, is where the Miami Dolphins come in.
There are several teams who stand out as logical options to explore making a move for Watson if he indeed ends up on the trade market, and the Dolphins most definitely are one of them.
Remember that Watson has a no-trade clause in the four-year contract he signed with the Texans last September, so he essentially could almost dictate his next destination.
And, make no mistake, the Dolphins most definitely would have appeal for just about any player, considering they're coming off a 10-6 season, have a head coach who in his second year should get votes for NFL Coach of the Year and, oh yes, Florida does not have state income tax.
And reports already are out that Watson most definitely would be interested in playing for Miami.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah suggested on Twitter the New York Jets should call the Texans and offer the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, along with first-round picks in 2022 and 2023.
The Jets already have quarterback Sam Darnold on the roster and have extra first-round picks this year and next as the result of the trade that sent Jamal Adams to Seattle.
The Dolphins, of course, have extra first- and second-round picks in 2021 that came, ironically, from those same Houston Texans as the result of the 2019 trade involving Laremy Tunsil.
RELATED: Revisiting the Tunsil trade
The Dolphins also have Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, they could use in a package to land Watson.
Miami has the third and 18th overall selections in 2021, along with the 36th and 50th selections in Round 2.
Rest assured, there will be plenty of teams interested in landing Watson if the Texans ever put out word they were willing to trade him.
Dolphins linebacker Vince Biegel, who missed the entire 2020 season with an Achilles injury and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March, responded to a tweet showing Watson photoshopped in a Dolphins uniform with the Jack Nicholson gif where he's nodding his head in excited approval — before deleting the tweet.
Watson signed a four-year contract extension in September through the 2025 season that calls for a $156 million salary. The 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Watson has been selected to the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons.
While Houston struggled to a 4-12 finish in 2020, Watson set career highs in passing yards (an NFL-best 4,823), touchdown passes (33) and passer rating (112.4). Watson finished in the top three in the NFL in those three categories, as well as lowest interception percentage, completion percentage and average yards per completion.
Here's one hypothetical Dolphins trade offer for Watson: The third overall pick, the 36th overall pick and Tua for Watson. That would leave the Dolphins with their own first- and-second round picks (18th and 50th) coming off a 10-6 season.
Again, this comes down to what Houston thinks of Tua. If the Texans think he's a bona fide future star, they recoup two draft picks and save a lot of money at the quarterback position while moving on from a disgruntled player.
Maybe the Texans would want more than that return, even if they think Tagovailoa is the real deal, especially if they get a lot of offers. But don't forget that Watson has veto power so he would be able to dictate his next destination if he were willing to hold out to get his way.
