Watson To Atlanta - As Opponent in 2022 After Cleveland Trade

The Falcons will host the Browns and their new quarterback next season.

It turns out Deshaun Watson will be coming to Atlanta in 2022. Just not in the way many Falcons' fans had hopes. 

Atlanta will host the Cleveland Browns next season with Watson under center. After recent developments over the last few days, Mercedes-Benz Stadium might have high energy during this matchup.

What is now thought to be the final compensation in today’s seismic trade:

🏈Browns get: Deshaun Watson and a 5th-round pick.

🏈Texans get: three first-round picks, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick. https://t.co/nOtoRVIlGp

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 18, 2022

The NFL offseason is always fun of surprises but no one could have seen this coming. The Browns were ruled out of the running for Watson on Thursday. After entering the mix late, the Falcons seemed to be close to a deal to acquire Watson but the quarterback changed his mind at the last minute. 

Watson waived his no-trade clause for Cleveland and a deal was done right away. Houston receives three first-round picks, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the trade. Cleveland gets Watson and a fifth-round pick in return. 

After the trade was made, the Browns signed Watson to a five-year, fully-guaranteed, $230 million contract. Watson will receive $184 million over the first four years of the contract.

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Watson might not have played for the Falcons in the past but there is bound to be some bad blood between the two sides now. It seemed to be down to Atlanta and the New Orleans Saints for Watson on Friday morning. When the Falcons were on the one-yard line, there was a fumble and the Browns were able to recover. 

Now that the Watson drama has been figured out, the Falcons must decide if they are still willing to move on from Matt Ryan. What we do know is that Watson will not receive the same ovation next season that he would have if he landed in Atlanta.