NFL Trade Rumors: Is Deshaun Watson's tweet an indication for a possible trade request?
Houston Texans' quarterback Deshaun Watson has been a gift for the Texans since he was drafted by the team in 2017. Despite terrible coaching and practically no help, Watson continues to perform like a star-studded NFL quarterback should.
On Tuesday, the QB tweeted out something rather peculiar after news broke out that the Texans will be hiring New England Patriots' executive Nick Caserio as their next general manager.
Watson had his best career statistically in the 2020 regular season, with a career high in attempts (382), completions (544), yards (4,823), touchdowns (33), and the least number of interceptions in his career (7). Despite all that effort, the Texans finished with a 4-12 season and fired Bill O'Brien in the middle of the season.
NFL Trade Rumors: What is next for Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans?
Watson signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension in September of 2020, just right after Kansas City Chiefs' QB Patrick Mahomes signed his record-breaking contract.
Replacing Watson would be tough for the organization, as finding a dual-threat QB like him is hard these days. Over the years, the Texans have simply failed to get Watson any help up-front. In 2018 alone, Watson was sacked 62 times, which was the fifth-most in a single season by any QB. Watson saw his star receiver DeAndre Hopkins get traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a rather injury-prone running back in David Johnson who was not even a first-round pick.
Fans should not be blaming Watson for possibly asking for a trade. He helped take the Texans to the playoffs twice despite not having much support.
Also check out: Complete 2018 NFL Draft Results
Considering that the Texans will not have a first-round pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, it could be intriguing for some teams looking for a QB. The Texans will belooking to start from the ground-up and have a lot of work to do. They have yet to hire a new head coach as well, which could be the deciding factor for Watson's future as a Texan.
Teams that could possibly consider trading for Watson are the Washington Football Team, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Denver Broncos. Nothing is set in stone, but we could see Watson on the move in the 2021 off season.