QB Deshaun Trade To WFT: What Are The Odds?

New Denver Broncos GM George Paton, as noted by our colleague Chad Jensen, said in his opening statement announcing his hire that he plans to be "aggressive but not reckless" in building the roster. Little more than a day later, Paton told the team site that the Broncos will be "involved in every deal.''

Paton should be speaking for almost every GM in the NFL - yes, including the GM that isn't yet hired by the Washington Football Team, meaning that the Denver GM should be speaking for coach Ron Rivera.

And they should be speaking about Deshaun Watson.

Although Watson has yet to officially request a trade from the Texans, our SI crew in Houston is all over the realities and the mess made by Houston management here, and it seems a real possibility the disgruntled quarterback, pushed by incompetent and dishonest management, has played his last snap for the team that drafted him No. 12 overall in 2017.

This buzz has given rise to the oddsmakers beginning to seriously take bets on where Watson could land next — if indeed he is traded. According to SportsBetting.com, the WFT have 12/1 odds of landing the three-time Pro Bowler - which is eighth-best in the NFL.

The teams ranked ahead of Denver in the Watson trade sweepstakes include the New York Jets (2/1), Miami Dolphins (3/1), and Chicago Bears (4/1). Again, the Broncos check in at No. 4 with 5/1 odds, followed by the Indianapolis Colts at No. 5 with 8/1 odds.

What once seemed like a pipe dream at best - or, in Houston, a nightmare at its worst - has suddenly become more and more realistic. 10 days ago, the notion of the Texans trading Watson was unthinkable. ... and really, should still be. After all, the Texans may have had a forgettable season but are only a few months removed from giving Watson a four-year contract extension worth $156 million in new money. He got $73.716M fully guaranteed at signing, a big commitment to a QB who is at 25 every single thing a team is looking for in a franchise QB.

That makes the behavior of Houston's front office all the more perplexing. Watson was told by the McNair family that he would have a hand in helping to select the Texans' next GM and head coach. But pushed by controversial exec Jack Easterby, owner Cal McNair forged ahead with moves that left Watson - who was to represent the locker room's view - out of the loop ... and now maybe wanting out of Houston.

Is this level of a blockbuster trade something Rivera would consider? Washington fans should have doubts - with all due respect to the oddsmakers - mostly because of the king's ransom it would take to ply Watson off Houston's hands. Speculation includes the idea that such a move would require saying goodbye to at least two first-round draft picks, if not three, and maybe even a pair of seconds.

That seems unlikely. But again, 10 days ago, so did the idea of the Houston Texans being foolish enough to even discuss trading away Deshaun Watson.

CONTINUE READING: Should Washington Football Team Go All-In On Trade For Deshaun?

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