PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 27: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans throws a pass in front of Stephon Tuitt #91 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on September 27, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
While the Pittsburgh Steelers need a quarterback for the future, it looks like they won’t be pursuing Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Deshaun Watson won’t be facing criminal charges, but that doesn’t mean some teams are suddenly very interested in trading for him. The Pittsburgh Steelers apparently aren’t looking to trade for the high profile quarterback.
According to a tweet from Jason La Canfora, the Steelers won’t be making an effort to bring Houston Texans quarterback Watson to Pittsburgh to be the successor for Ben Roethlisberger.
Deshaun Watson update: Pittsburgh Steelers apparently won’t pursue trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson
If it seems like a number of teams have recently moved themselves away from trying to get Watson on their roster, that’s because several have backed away (at least publicly). It wasn’t that long ago that both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins made it clear they wouldn’t be interested in trying to trade for Watson.
That said, the Eagles and Dolphins are in slightly different positions than some other teams throughout the NFL. Both franchises have young quarterbacks who could continue to develop already on their roster.
It’s worth noting that other teams in the league might be willing to make a trade for Watson.
But, as it stands right now, the Steelers aren’t going to be one of those franchises. It’s not exactly clear what they will do at quarterback, but they’ve got a few options. They could hope for an answer in the draft, find a free agent, make a trade for someone other than Watson, or tank and hope for a better draft class next year.