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Is It Crazy to Think Steelers Land Deshaun Watson?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked to the Houston Texans quarterback.

Cody Flavell

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If you’ve learned anything as an NFL fan, it’s probably to expect the unexpected when it pertains to roster moves. Including the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Russell Wilson was traded to the Broncos in one of the quieter kept moves in recent memory. Khalil Mack, a six-time Pro Bowler, was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday afternoon for what feels like pennies on the dollar.

Everyone in football knows how ugly the Steelers’ quarterback situation is at this moment in time. With Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers currently have only Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins on the roster in their quarterback room. They undoubtedly will add to the room through either the draft, free agency, or a trade.

There have been a multitude of options presented over the past few weeks but none as intriguing as Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

It seems Houston has moved on from the 26-year old former Clemson stand out. They are committed to moving him but the current outstanding legal allegations against him are slowing the process. Teams are hesitant to pay the hefty price to acquire the star quarterback until they know he can be available to their team.

Interestingly enough, Shaun King reported Wednesday that “if things go well Friday, Deshaun Watson to the Steelers is happening soon after”.

The report was then shut down by a few of the local media guys but King went on the ‘Locked on Steelers’ podcast Thursday and doubled down on his report by saying his sources believe that Watson will eventually be a Steeler.

King is obviously not one of the lead national media guys like Adam Schefter or Ian Rappoport, but smaller media personalities have broken big stories before.

There are certainly lots of layers to a potential Deshaun Watson/Pittsburgh Steelers working relationship.

First of all, the legal situation has to be resolved. Acquiring a player like Watson is going to cost a few of your first-rounders and some current roster players so that you can move out some salary. No team is going to part with their future if they don’t have an assurance that the player they’re acquiring won’t be spending time in jail or receiving a lengthy suspension.

Watson’s cap hit, $40 million in 2022, is obviously a high number. The Steelers can afford it as they’re one of the leaders among the NFL in cap space this offseason. But that doesn’t mean they’ll just slide that cap hit into their roster and move on. They’ve got a lot of holes that need to be filled this offseason.

Getting a quarterback won’t fix the entire team. However, an opportunity to acquire an already proven franchise quarterback for the next decade doesn’t always come along either. Exploring it assuming Watson is eventually proven innocent is something the Steelers should do.

Watson does have a no-trade clause so that will have to be waived if he is moved. King reported that the Steelers are a preferred destination for Watson so that shouldn’t be an issue in negotiations.

It’s easy to see why Watson would want to come to Pittsburgh. He’d be following Roethlisberger’s storied career and he’d obviously start without a shadow of a doubt. Mike Tomlin, one of the most player-centric coaches in the NFL, is obviously the head ball coach for the Steelers. Watson would have the opportunity to play under him.

Brian Flores is now a defensive coach for the Steelers. It was rumored that Flores had interest in acquiring Watson to be his quarterback in Miami before he was fired so there is that connection as well.

There are going to be plenty of hurdles and obstacles that have to be cleared before any real traction could take place in this deal. I’d have to imagine Tomlin would love to have Watson after continually mentioning quarterback mobility throughout the offseason. The front office and ownership signing off on it would be the key.

One downside surrounding signing Watson would be the negative PR that it would bring. A star quarterback with baggage, however, is not something the Steelers have shied away from over the past 18 years if we’re being honest.

The NFL is becoming less and less ethical and more about what is best for your football team. Deshaun Watson would be very good for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Acquiring Watson and trading all of that draft capital would be the polar opposite of how the Steelers have operated over their franchise’s history. But times are ever-evolving in the NFL. The Steelers are going into the new season with a different starting quarterback and a new general manager.

Changes are afoot so why not take a swing and see if you can’t acquire Watson for a reasonable price assuming all the legal stuff gets taken care of?

I, for one, would love to see Watson’s name and number four emblazoned on the back of a black and gold jersey for eight games at Heinz Field this coming season.

How likely that is remains to be seen. It surely would beat watching Rudolph or Haskins for 17 games in a division where every other divisional opponent would have a decidedly better quarterback than Pittsburgh’s.

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Cody Flavell
CODY FLAVELL

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