Deshaun Watson Picks Browns, How it Affects Colts

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has made a decision where to be traded, picking the Browns. The move might affect the Colts in more ways than one.

The domino has fallen. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has chosen his trade destination, and now teams that have been waiting for the news in order to make their own moves at quarterback can proceed.

Watson is being traded to the Cleveland Browns, per NFL Network, with the compensation still being worked out. He's also getting a large new contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

This decision was a surprising one, as it had been reported that Watson's final choice was coming down to the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, with the Falcons being the hometown favorite. The Browns and Carolina Panthers had reportedly been told that they were out of the running for Watson's services.

Prior to his decision, Cleveland's quarterback situation was getting messy.  With the knowledge that his team was looking to replace him with Watson, quarterback Baker Mayfield requested a trade with his preferred destination reportedly being the Indianapolis Colts, but the Browns denied the request since they thought they were not getting Watson.

Now that they are getting Watson, the Browns will likely honor Mayfield's request. However, even though he might want to go to the Colts, do they want him as their quarterback?

The Colts — who made their own inquiry to meet with Watson — had a massive void open at quarterback after trading Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders. They were already looking to move on from their former starter, but now they don't have a capable one in the building (at least not an established starter).

A big reason the Colts reportedly wanted to move on from Wentz was his lackadaisical leadership style and how he seemed to rebuke strong coaching. His play on the field over the last few years has also been very inconsistent.

As for Cleveland, it was recently reported that Mayfield and the Browns were "breaking up regardless" of what happened with Watson and that the Browns "want and adult" at quarterback. With Mayfield then requesting a trade on Thursday, it looks like this situation is already pretty ugly.

When considering Mayfield's situation, that all sounds a bit too familiar.

Regardless, not only does Watson's trade create an opportunity for the Colts to get a new quarterback, but it also takes the AFC South's best one out of the division.

What do you think of Watson's decision? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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