This trade package could help the New York Jets trade for Houston Texans disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The clock has officially started on the Deshaun Watson rumor mill.
The Houston Texans denied rumors they had any interest in granting Watson’s trade request at new head coach David Culley’s press conference but Watson has continued to stoke the fires of discontent by purging his social media of all references to the organization.
This situation could get ugly quickly and force the Texans’ hand, which could benefit a team like the New York Jets, who have been rumored to be contemplating a big trade this offseason. Adding Watson would certainly qualify as it would help the Jets find the franchise quarterback they have been searching for since Joe Namath left for Los Angeles in the 1970s.
The Jets are well-equipped to make a blockbuster offer for Watson thanks to their excess draft capital as a result of the Jamal Adams trade. The Seattle Seahawks sent two first-round picks to the Jets for Adams, allowing GM Joe Douglas to deal multiple high picks without crippling his organization’s ability to continue rebuilding.
A realistic package the Jets could offer for Deshaun Watson
Texans receive:
- 2021 First Round Pick (No. 2)
- 2022 First Round Pick
- 2023 First Round Pick
- 2021 Second Round Pick (No. 34)
- 2022 Third Round Pick
- Sam Darnold
There will be a lot of teams in the hunt for Watson so the Jets will have to go above and beyond to make their offer stand out. The inclusion of three first-rounders is a good start with the second pick this year being a valuable inclusion.
The No. 2 pick should have a ton of value for the Texans if they think that Justin Fields, Zach Wilson or Trey Lance can develop into a franchise quarterback. Houston could also auction the pick off for more draft capital to a team desperate to land one of those guys, which could significantly add to the team’s cupboard of draft capital that Bill O’Brien frivolously dealt from over the past few years.
The 2022 first-round pick would also be the Jets’ own pick since the Texans can reasonably ascertain that New York will finish with a worse record than Seattle next season. Houston would probably push for the third first-rounder to come either this year or next while the Jets would counter with pushing it out to 2023.
The other assets in this package aren’t insignificant either. The Jets’ second-round pick this year is No. 34 overall, which has a similar value to a late-first round pick, while quarterback Sam Darnold can either start for the Texans or be flipped for more picks. The third-rounder next year is a cherry on top.
This move would add four premium draft choices for the Texans, including picks in the first two rounds this year when they don’t have any. Darnold is also only 23-years-old, leaving him plenty of time to develop into a franchise-caliber player with better coaching, so this offer would be a strong one if the Texans do decide to move Watson.
As far as New York is concerned this is a stiff price to pay but Douglas would rather part with more draft capital than give up a building block like Quinnen Williams or Mekhi Becton. The Jets would also solve their quarterback problem for the next decade, giving the organization plenty of runways to build a winner in the coming years.