ESPN’s Bill Barnwell went through a number of trade proposals, 17 to be specific, involving Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Barnwell had some wild activities in this article that were entertaining. The one involved a trade in three teams, where the 49ers landed Aaron Rodgers after hitting no. 12, sent a ’22 first round, a ’22 second round, and Jimmy Garoppolo (to the Patriots).
That was the 17th scenario and the most unlikely, as Green Bay is going to keep it for Rodgers for another season.
Here is Barnwell’s third scenario where Watson ended up in the Bay:
49ers send: 12th overall pick in 2021, 2022 first and second rounds (for Texans), 2023 third round, S Tarvarius Moore, QB Jimmy Garoppolo (against Jets)
Send Jets: QB Sam Darnold (to Texans), 2022 fifth round (up to 49ers)
Texans send: QB Deshaun Watson (up to 49ers)
There’s a lot going on here and landing Watson, but giving up just two first rounds to land a top 3 quarterback who’s 25 years old on a friendly contract is a decisive one for San Francisco. case.
Here’s what Barnwell had to say about the trade:
The 49ers can credibly suggest they are Super Bowl candidates if they add Watson, who will move into a quarterback-friendly plan with guns in abundance. They may be able to add a passerby to a rookie deal, but Watson will be betting they can outsmart anyone in the attack. It would be a big package, including four drafts and two veterans, but general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan were not ashamed to pay the odds for the guys they want. If they want Watson, they will not ride a price tag.
Garoppolo has two years and about $ 50.4 million left on his deal, and given his recent injury history, he does not have much trade value more than a midfield choice. He is not much used to a rebuilding Texans team, although Caserio & Co. definitely know him from their time in New England. The Jets seem like a strange choice, but Robert Saleh only spent three years with Garoppolo (and Moore) in San Francisco. The Jets can buy low on Garoppolo if they do not like the quarterbacks in April’s draft class.
Before pointing out that the 49ers made the Super Bowl with Garoppolo, you need to understand that the Niners are not going to make a Super Bowl again, where Jimmy G throws the ball eight times in the NFC Championship. It lives in a fantasy. If Jimmy comes back, he’s going to have to make plays.
Watson feels like a pipe stream, but I would not completely rule him out. You have to think that the 49ers made an offer to Houston, as most teams did. I saw ’49ers Twitter’ asking if Watson’s worth it or even an upgrade of what’s currently on the list, and all I can do is laugh.
Watson and I can’t stress this enough is a significant upgrade of 95% of the NFL’s quarterback. There’s Patrick Mahomes, and then there’s Watson. For my money, Watson is the second best quarterback in the NFL. If you have the opportunity to get one of the guys, you get them.
It would not be the team that throws the dice. The same goes for Matthew Stafford. If you know what you are getting, trading becomes much easier to pull the trigger. Four years’ good quarterback from Stafford is a first choice. Eight years from Watson is worthy of the choice of two first rounds.