Do 49ers Have Enough to Trade for Texans QB Deshaun Watson?
If the Houston Texans will truly entertain the idea of trading the best quarterback in the franchise's history, they could be in for a haul.
How would the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year from 2019 sound?
Before we get to the structure of the sort of Deshaun Watson trade that we continue to insist will never happen - because a franchise can go decades without ever getting a Watson and should therefore cherish, value and nurture the situation when it does - we should understand that the "fun'' of this sort of thing is as much in dissecting the "anatomy'' of a rumor as it is trying to play "fantasy football'' in constructing a trade.
The anatomy: Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker knows the value of a good pass-rush and he recently floated the potential trade of adding one of the NFL's youngest and best to a deal for Deshaun Watson.
When asked who was untouchable in the pursuit of the best player on the Texans, Tucker made it clear what it would take to chase the quarterback.
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"I would say Nick Bosa," he told 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. "But if you can get Deshaun Watson, I think even Bosa is touchable. I'm sure they don't want to do it and I'm sure they'd rather give up picks."
Tucker said he thought Bosa was great but the 49ers couldn't pass up the chance to add a quarterback as good as Watson.
"You get a chance to add a top-five quarterback in the NFL,'' he said, "you do it."
Tucker made it clear the 49ers would "fight like the Dickens" to avoid losing their star pass-rusher in the deal, but if he was indeed a part of the ask by the Texans, San Francisco would say yes.
(By the way: Niners receiver Deebo Samuel says Bosa is the one who is “Untouchable. That he is.”)
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So there's the origin of a rumor that has mushroomed into dozens of fake "reports'' on a coming trade. What isn't fake, of course: That the idea of trading Watson arises out of his unhappiness with the organization. There was already a report the Miami Dolphins could be interested and dangling their top pick from last year's drat, Tua Tagovailoa, and picks.
That's one of the many reasons Bosa isn't near enough for Watson, not even in a "fantasy'' trade. Consider that Jamal Adams recently netted two first-rounders in a trade ... or, as Texans fans well-know, Laremy Tunsil also netted Miami two premier picks - from Houston.
When the true price of even getting interested in Deshaun Watson is as high as we bet it is, maybe the other teams won't ever really go down this road. More importantly, though, from a Houston perspective: The fact that Deshaun Watson's value is this high is exactly the reason the Texans should have no business talking with San Francisco or Miami or anybody else.
All their "talking business'' right now should be with the understandably disgruntled Deshaun Watson.
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