NFL Rumors: Could the Detroit Lions Trade for Deshaun Watson?

Rumors are circulating that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson could ask for a trade.

The quarterback position for the Detroit Lions has been hotly debated for the past decade. 

Matthew Stafford will be entering his 13th season in the National Football League in 2021.  

If he decides it is time to move on or the organization wants to move in a different direction, his replacement could be one of the league's young and most exciting quarterbacks.

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According to Pro Football Talk, "Rumors already are circulating, and we’ve already heard them from multiple different people, that (Deshaun) Watson has quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade."

If Watson demands a trade, the list of teams that would covet his services would be a mile long, with interest expected to come from the Washington Football Team, the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Raiders, Broncos, Eagles, Bears, Lions, Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers and 49ers, according to PFT. 

On Tuesday, the Texans hired Nick Caserio, the New England Patriots' former director of player personnel. 

If the Texans hire a head coach that is not appealing to Watson, his days in Houston could be numbered.

Per reports, trading him would result in a cap hit of $21.6 million.

But, the Texans should be able to accumulate a significant amount of draft capital as a result of trading him, making it worth it for the franchise to absorb the cap hit. 

Lions team president Rod Wood expressed that a general manager candidate's opinion of Stafford will not directly influence the organization's decision to hire or not hire the individual.

“I don’t have a preference. We’ll see. We’re certainly talking about our entire roster, including Matthew, with everybody that we’re interviewing for both positions," Wood said on Tuesday. "He’s our quarterback. He’s a very important player, (at a) very important position. But again, when we have people in the building to weigh in on those decisions, that’s when we’ll be able to talk more about it. Certainly, everybody that we talked to admires Matthew from afar, as much as we admire him inside the building.”

The situation in Houston involving Watson is definitely one that will be monitored across the league, including by the Lions.

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