Why Deshaun Watson shouldn't waive his no-trade clause for the Carolina Panthers

The NFL received some stunning news this week. Deshaun Watson was cleared of charges after the Supreme Court ruled against pursuing the case any further. This makes Watson eligible to play in the future and one of the hottest trade pieces on the market.

This is why Deshaun Watson, from the beginning, welcomed a police investigation: He felt he knew that the truth would come out. And today, a grand jury did not charge him on any of the criminal complaints.

We've already seen quarterbacks like Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson be moved this offseason, but Deshaun Watson will fetch a much higher price compared to them. A team could land him with three first-round picks with a player or Day 2 picks mixed into the package.

But like Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson has a no-trade clause worked into his contract. For a trade to occur, Watson would have to approve where the Houston Texans sent him.

One of the teams that could make a play for him could be the Carolina Panthers, but Watson would be smart to steer clear of Matt Rhule.

Expect the Panthers to aggressively make a run at Deshaun Watson. All interested teams likely would want to sit down with Watson, who has to sign off on any deal due to his no-trade clause.

For one, Deshaun Watson already declined a trade to Carolina last year. The Panthers made an offer, but Watson declined to waive his clause and, instead, focused on seeing if a deal could be made with the Miami Dolphins. To be honest, not much has changed since last season, and it has even gotten worse for the Panthers.

Head coach Matt Rhule is on the hot seat, and even making a trade for Watson can't secure his job for the future. He recently hired former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo as the offensive coordinator, which wasn't a thrilling hire in any sense. It's hard to believe that Deshaun Watson wants to play for a team that could easily have a brand new coaching staff after one season.

“The Panthers, sources say, wouldn’t be willing to trade Brian Burns or Jeremy Chinn. Other players that could be involved in a potential Watson deal: running back Christian McCaffrey, defensive tackle Derrick Brown and wide receiver D.J. Moore.” ⬇️ twitter.com/aaronwilson_nf…

Secondly, the talent that he will be surrounded with isn't great either. Sure, they have runningback Christian McCaffrey, but he's on the trade block himself. Beyond that, Robby Anderson could be moved as well, leaving DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr. as the top options. The Panthers are likely to rebuild their roster, but they will be giving up most of their top draft picks to obtain a quarterback they can't give weapons to.

Where is Deshaun Watson best suited to go?

Deshaun Watson is better off going to the Pittsburgh Steelers (if they will have him) or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will, at least, have a chance to make a playoff run with either of these teams. The Philadelphia Eagles were said to be in the running but seem to have pulled out.

The Seattle Seahawks could be a dark-horse candidate as they have extra draft capital to spend after trading Wilson. The Cleveland Browns are another new name in the ring, as they could save some draft picks by offering Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry to Houston.

BREAKING: Per source, I’m told that #Texans QB Deshaun Watson and his camp are ‘all-in’ on forcing a trade to the #Steelers. Watson believes that it is the “perfect landing spot” between HC Mike Tomlin, the strong roster, and the organizational stability.

#NFL

While the Steelers have been stern regarding not wanting Deshaun Watson, it makes sense. Pittsburgh hasn't been known to acquire many controversial players in the past, but you also can't forget they signed Michael Vick and retained Ben Roethlisberger throughout his issues. The team is without a franchise quarterback, despite having a roster worthy of making a run at the championship. Watson is more mobile, which can help spread out the offense and get guys like James Washington more involved.