Deshaun Watson Inching Closer to Choosing Trade Destination
Although no timetable has been publicly determined, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is getting closer to choosing which team he would like to be traded to.
Once teams started showing serious interest in trading for the 26-year-old quarterback last weekend, Watson made it known that he would like to meet with each team before waiving his no-trade clause. He and the Texans have collaboratively worked on this since Saturday. The Texans can't choose the team he is traded to, but they will not grant permission to any team to speak with Watson unless the interested team submits a trade offer that is agreed upon beforehand, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.
On Monday, both the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints submitted trade offers for Watson which were agreed to by Houston, thus both teams were able to meet with him. On Tuesday, the Cleveland Browns entered the race but in the meantime, may have upset current starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, in doing so.
Just when everyone thought it would come down between the Panthers, Saints, and Browns, the Atlanta Falcons came out of no where and showed interest. Obviously, this would mean that the team is ready and willing to move off of Matt Ryan but he would not be included in the package being sent to Houston. Watson was once a ball boy for the Falcons and has a relationship with team owner Arthur Blank. Watson reportedly reached out to the Falcons on his own to see if they had any interest in acquiring him.
Atlanta doesn't have the assets compared to the other three. The only two players that may appeal to Houston are TE Kyle Pitts and CB A.J. Terrell, which is probably why it took a little longer for the two sides to agree on a deal. With Watson set to meet with the Falcons on Wednesday, that means Houston has okayed a trade offer.
Considering this is day five of trade talks, I would be surprised to see any other teams enter the mix. A decision could come as early as today and will likely be made by the end of this week if not. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the New Orleans Saints are the team that is standing out at the moment.
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