Deshaun Watson's time with the Houston Texans is nearing its end. According to reports, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the NFL's passing yards leader for 2020 has now officially requested a trade. Of course, this divorce has been building for quite some time over these last few weeks and Thursday's news simply confirms that the papers are being filed and a separation is imminent.
This is a wild turn of events when you consider that Watson signed a $177.5 million mega extension with the Texans back in September, which was the second-biggest contract in NFL history and only looking up to Patrick Mahomes. However, the relationship between Watson and the Texans has taken nose dive in recent months and things seemingly jumped to a fever pitch when Houston hired Nick Caserio as its next GM without consulting Watson.
Given Watson's MVP-caliber ability, he's going to be a very sought after piece on the open trade market and his no-trade clause does give him some control as to where he lands. With that in mind, here's a look at 13 of the most logical potential suitors, not including AFC South rivals that would presumably be off the table as possibilities:
13. Miami Dolphins
This is a destination that may have pegged as an ideal spot for Watson. The Dolphins not only have the No. 3 overall pick -- courtesy of the Texans in the Laremy Tunsil trade -- that they could ship to the Texans but they also provide the club with the opportunity to gain a young franchise quarterback to build around going forward. A trade package that centers around Tua Tagovailoa and the No. 3 pick could be the best offer out there for Houston, especially if they believe in Tagovailoa's ability. By plugging in Watson to Brian Flores' already budding team, the Dolphins could give the Bills a run for their money as the future powerhouse of the AFC East.
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12. San Francisco 49ers
Neither coach Kyle Shanahan nor GM John Lynch have gone out of their way to declare Jimmy Garoppolo the unquestioned QB moving forward, and it's readily apparent they'll explore an upgrade if they can. The problem is, they're not too terribly suited to trade a massive amount of picks, having already spent valuable draft capital and financial resources to their current core.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
A mega-deal for a star QB would seem a little out of character for Pittsburgh, but that's only because they've been riding with Ben Roethlisberger for so long. In the event Big Ben hangs it up after 2020, there's no reason the Steelers shouldn't be making this call. They've got enough young talent on both sides of the ball, particularly defense, that they could afford to surrender a sizable number of picks if it meant making Watson the long-term successor to Roethlisberger.
10. Detroit Lions
Motor City needs new blood across the board, and with Matthew Stafford set to enter the trade market himself, the Lions could immediately revitalize interest in their franchise by adding a QB of Watson's caliber. They've got enough cap space to make it work. They've got high draft picks to put on the table. And their QBs coach, Sean Ryan, held the same position alongside Watson in Houston from 2017-2018, the QB's first two seasons in the NFL.
9. Atlanta Falcons
Financially speaking, this would be tough -- especially with Matt Ryan still on the books with a big deal. But let's say you can send Ryan elsewhere (to his old pal Kyle Shanahan, perhaps). What better way to kick off the new regime than with a new, young superstar at QB? Watson famously grew up as a Falcons ball boy, and his Georgia hometown is only a few hours away. Even if the compensation would be costly, the fit makes a lot of sense.
8. Minnesota Vikings
They're not exactly loaded with cap space, and acquiring Watson would also require dealing Kirk Cousins, although that's not impossible (hello, San Francisco?). But GM Rick Spielman has proven bold and creative at QB before, whether in signing Cousins in the first place or trading for Sam Bradford, etc. Watson would also give them a longer-term, higher-upside captain for an offense already filled out with star talent (Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson). This would be the definition of a blockbuster with title aspirations.
7. Denver Broncos
John Elway's shift out of everyday GM duties probably hurts the Broncos' chances of spending big to land Watson, but there's no doubt he'd still be involved in the negotiations, if they were to take place. And he loves himself the idea of a proven QB, especially considering his impatience over the last half-decade finally prompted him to find a new GM. Denver has already added some promising young talent (see: Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton), so giving up a ton of picks may not be an impossible sell.
6. Las Vegas Raiders
Look, Derek Carr is good, but don't you dare try to tell us that Jon Gruden -- the same guy who once compared Watson to *checks notes* Michael Jordan -- wouldn't at least try to sell this to Mike Mayock. Gruden avoids spending high picks on QBs more than any of us acknowledge, so acquiring Watson would not only enable him to continue doing so, but also put quite a bit more dynamism into his offense. Watson handing off to Josh Jacobs and throwing to Henry Ruggs and Darren Waller? Playoffs on deck.
5. Washington Football Team
Alex Smith is not the answer, and Dwayne Haskins' departure might leave the club just a little gun shy when it comes to spending a top asset on an unproven arm. Watson is the prototypical character for Ron Rivera's culture -- a stand-up leader on and off the field. As long as Dan Snyder owns the team, Washington is also perpetually in the trade market for veteran QBs. Watson himself may not jump at the chance to play for WFT, but then again, the NFC East could present simpler paths to the playoffs.
4. New York Jets
GM Joe Douglas has the rare opportunity to draft a top-two QB prospect in April, and you could argue he's been working toward this moment since joining the team in summer 2019. However, Watson represents an even rarer opportunity: the addition of a proven top-tier youngster. The Jets are overflowing with cap space, they've got incredibly high picks to offer in a trade, and Watson's presence alone would instantly inject life into one of the NFL's top markets. This is reportedly also Watson's top destination to land in as he would like to work with newly hired head coach Robert Saleh.
3. New Orleans Saints
They're in an almost impossible cap situation entering 2021, but they consistently manipulate dire financial straits. More than that, the Saints are about to enter uncharted territory post-Drew Brees, and Sean Payton's not fooling anyone if he says he's 100% ready to turn the keys to either Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston. Watson would surely tweak his own deal if it meant relocating to New Orleans, and the Saints would be able to seamlessly turn the page to a new generation of contention, even if it meant surrendering all kinds of future draft picks and/or parting ways with another big name down the road.
2. Chicago Bears
Their coach, Matt Nagy, is about as obsessed with his own franchise's failures as anyone. The guy infamously turned kicker tryouts into a team-wide spectacle and then went haywire in adding tight ends upon Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen's short-lived runs at the position. Now he might have a chance to correct GM Ryan Pace's biggest error, which they've both heard about for years: the decision to pass on Watson for Mitchell Trubisky. Imagine the goodwill they'd instantly foster in Chicago by finally making the right call and giving the Bears a bona fide franchise signal-caller.
1. New England Patriots
The match of all matches. Wouldn't it be straight-up Bill Belichickian of this team to turn around from its first bad year in two decades and find a way to land one of the game's top young QBs? New England has been a logical landing spot for months, still needing a true Tom Brady successor and flush with cap space, not to mention a penchant for draft-pick trades. Watson, for his part, would assuredly embrace the transition to a longtime contender. And then there's the front-office connections: The Texans just made Patriots lifer Nick Caserio their new GM, granting New England a clean path to trade talks.
