Where will star Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson end up this offseason? It’s one of the biggest questions fans want an answer to, and they’re not alone. The Texans also can’t wait to move on from their disgruntled QB who’s facing several legal accusations.
There are likely to be several teams hoping to get a crack at adding the three-time Pro Bowl QB to their roster, but only a few figure to actually have the assets, and cap space needed to acquire him. Not to mention, Watson has a full no-trade clause, which gives him complete control over his next playing destination.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the two franchises Watson may be most interested in playing for are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings. Which, depending on who you ask, could both use an upgrade at quarterback.
Deshaun Watson could help Vikings or Buccaneers reach Super Bowl
Both the Vikings and Bucs have been loosely linked to Deshaun Watson already this offseason, it’s just that the situation in Minnesota might be a tad more complicated than the one in Tampa who currently has a huge, gaping hole at QB1.
The Vikings appear ready to go all-in on Kirk Cousins, who is in the last year of his contract. But, since they have yet to actually do so, yet to sign him to an extension, the window for Watson remains open at least a crack.
They certainly have the assets and draft capital to acquire him. It’s a proposition we looked at once the regular season was complete, it’s just the thought of Kevin O’Connell coming to town has recently reinforced the likelihood of Cousins sticking around even longer in the Twin Cities. But, no one could reasonably argue that Watson wouldn’t be an improvement over Captain Kirk.
As far as the Buccaneers, well they’re already set up for success. Tom Brady has exited the stage, and Deshaun Watson could make his entrance in Tampa Bay, filling in right where Brady left off.
For both the Vikings and Buccaneers, Watson would be a major improvement over Kirk Cousins and Kyle Trask. It also gives them a quarterback who’s just 27 years old that they can grow with, ideally for the next 10 years. For coach Bruce Arians he wants to keep winning before he hangs up the clipboard.
And for the Wilf ownership in Minnesota, well they just fired their GM and coach knowing the previous results weren’t good enough. Now they want a Super Bowl, maybe they realize this offseason that Cousins just isn’t the one to deliver the goods. Watson might be.
Watson is under contract through 2025, but any trade might include an extension as well.