It feels like Deshaun Watson’s time in Houston is finally nearing its bitter end. If the Broncos decide to try to trade for him, what would they offer?
The NFL trade deadline is just six days away. The Houston Texans seem ready to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson, but only for the right price. The question right now for the Denver Broncos or anyone else who would even remotely consider making this deal?
What is the right price?
No NFL team really wants to trade a king’s ransom for Watson considering he has 22 sexual misconduct allegations against him and that off-field situation — at the time of this writing — is unresolved.
3 Broncos trade offers for Deshaun Watson the Texans should take
Watson hasn’t been suspended by the NFL or placed on the Commissioner’s exempt list, and according to what has been reported on NFL Network, that won’t happen in the 2021 season.
As of this particular point in time, the Denver Broncos’ interest in Watson simply isn’t there.
According to Benjamin Allbright, who has been reporting the Miami Dolphins as the favorites to land Watson for months, the Broncos simply don’t want to trade for Watson unless his legal situation is resolved.
Been up in the mountains without service.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 24, 2021
Re: the D. Watson report...
1. Broncos were interested PRIOR to legal issues. Not since.
2. Been told multiple times Watson would NOT waive his no-trade to go to Denver.
The difficult reality facing the Denver Broncos and first-year general manager George Paton is this: If you don’t trade for Watson now, you won’t be trading for him at all.
At least, in all likelihood.
Due to the allegations against Watson right now, many in Broncos Country are simply fine with that. What came to light about Watson this past offseason was nothing short of shocking, disturbing, and flat-out disappointing.
As far as his football future is concerned? Right now, that is the primary reason teams are not lining up to trade for him.
The Houston Texans are holding firm on their asking price for Watson regardless of the off-field circumstances. They want at least three first-round draft picks and they’ve made no guarantees to Watson or any NFL team that he will be traded.
To be clear: There's no guarantee Deshaun Watson gets traded before the deadline of Nov 2nd of course..
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) October 27, 2021
Yes, the no-trade clause has only been waived for MIA, so far....
Other teams have made calls.
Can't really flush them out until waiver is expanded.
Again this is chess. https://t.co/5WrbKSeE4w
The Denver Broncos are in a weird spot right now. Trading for Watson is much more complicated than just sending a hoard of draft selections to the Texans.
The ownership situation is in flux. The coaching staff is on the hot seat.
Although George Paton will remain beyond this year, how might a trade for Deshaun Watson impact those two particular situations?
If Paton has the go-ahead to trade for Watson, there is no denying the impact he can have on the field. On the field, Watson is an MVP-caliber playmaker at the QB position.
Unless the Broncos can guarantee themselves a shot at Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson in 2021, could they really pass up on that chance? Maybe they could.
If they decided to try and make a move, what might the cost look like? What kind of offer would be too good for Houston to pass up on?
Let’s take a look at three possibilities.
3 Broncos trade offers for Deshaun Watson the Texans should take
Offer #1
Broncos get
- QB Deshaun Watson
- 2023 5th-round pick
- 2024 5th-round pick
Texans get
- 2022 1st-round pick
- 2022 2nd-round pick
- 2023 1st-round pick
- 2023 3rd-round pick
- 2024 1st-round pick
- 2024 3rd-round pick
All the draft picks.
Three first-round picks, three day-two selections. There are some selections coming back to Denver here of little significance to Houston just so the Broncos’ cupboard is not completely bare, but this would seem to be the type of deal Houston would want in terms of draft capital.
At this point, there have been no reports of the Texans demanding any sort of player compensation in return for Watson, especially since that could potentially derail the value they could get in return in terms of draft capital.
In this scenario, the Broncos would not have a pick in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, but they would still at least have second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.
The Los Angeles Rams have not had a first-round pick since 2016 and their roster seems to be doing just fine.
3 Broncos trade offers for Deshaun Watson the Texans should take
Offer #2
Broncos get
- QB Deshaun Watson
Texans get
- EDGE Bradley Chubb
- QB Drew Lock
- 2022 1st-round pick
- 2022 3rd-round pick
- 2023 1st-round pick
- 2024 2nd-round pick
This seems like a lot to give up for Deshaun Watson, especially given his current status, but we said these would be offers the Texans should take, right?
Bradley Chubb is obviously recovering from an ankle procedure right now, but he’s still a young star defensive player in the NFL.
Injuries have prevented him in recent years from reaching his All-Pro potential, but it’s not like Chubb is 28 years old.
Broncos fans may not even realize that Chubb is still just 25 years old and already has some pretty big accomplishments as an NFL player, notably being selected to the Pro Bowl and nearly breaking Jevon Kearse’s two-decades-old rookie sack record back in 2018.
With this year and next remaining on Chubb’s contract, plus a franchise tag, that is a nice opportunity for the Texans to get a cost-effective defensive star for the foreseeable future.
Not only that, this trade brings back Drew Lock, a wild card option at the QB position for the 2022 season that would allow Houston to pursue other options in the 2022 NFL Draft, which is not looking very strong at QB.
In addition to those two players, the Texans still get multiple first-round selections as well as multiple day two selections.
3 Broncos trade offers for Deshaun Watson the Texans should take
Offer #3
Broncos get
- QB Deshaun Watson
- 2023 4th-round pick
- 2024 5th-round pick
Texans get
- DL Dre’Mont Jones
- EDGE Malik Reed
- WR KJ Hamler
- 2022 1st-round pick
- 2022 2nd-round pick
- 2023 1st-round pick
- 2024 3rd-round pick
What if the Texans would rather go for some players on the Denver Broncos’ roster to maximize this deal?
I don’t think that will necessarily be the case, but they could get some decent value in this kind of a trade.
Of course, the Broncos would probably prefer to keep the infrastructure of their roster in place in the event of any trade, whether we’re talking about Watson, Aaron Rodgers, or Russell Wilson.
Ultimately, however, there’s not really a price the team should be unwilling to pay for a franchise QB.
From Houston’s perspective here, you would be getting a budding star on the defensive line in Dre’Mont Jones, plus an effective and cost-effective starting EDGE in Malik Reed (restricted free agent after this season).
In addition, you would be getting KJ Hamler, an oft-injured but game-changing playmaker at the wide receiver position with his speed.
You are still getting multiple first-round picks and multiple day two picks, but the players coming back in return help your rebuilding process as well.
Again, all of these ideas are moot if the Broncos are not interested in trading for Watson at all. There’s been no real indication at this point that the Broncos are in talks with the Texans or that they have even inquired about the price.
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There’s also no real indication at this point of anything other than Watson preferring the Miami Dolphins. However, if the Broncos made the Texans an offer they couldn’t refuse and the Texans brought that to Watson, there’s always a chance he would waive his no-trade clause to come to Denver.