Thursday, it was reported that Deshaun Watson, star quarterback of Houston Texans, officially made his request for a trade. The report came hours after Texans named David Culley as the team’s new head coach, but his request allegedly had nothing to do with Culley’s appointment. Watson’s anger over the team that selected him with the overall No. 12 in the NFL draft in 2017 has been well-publicized over this off-season, and several teams will surely be interested in getting the services of the Pro Bowl signal caller. But how many teams are serious contenders for the Watson game?
Thursday night, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network Now that there is an official trade request, he expects the number of teams interested in Watson to increase dramatically. Then he reported it:
“From what I understand, more than half of the teams called the Texans on Deshaun Watson.”
That’s right, it’s not just the obvious teams that are interested in Watson. The star quarterback has reported interest in the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, but other teams are expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of Watson. Rapoport reported that the Carolina Panthers are strong in the mix – which CBS NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reported.
The Texans are expected to receive a tour in exchange for Watson, and their return could only increase with so many interested. Which five franchises are best equipped to trade for Watson? Check out our potential landing sites here.