Deshaun Watson’s Dysfunctional Potential Commerce Locations

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Organized team activities, better known in their abbreviated form as “OTA’s”, are ongoing for the Houston Texans this week and will extend into the next several weeks. These are voluntary activities, so the news that the suddenly controversial Deshaun Watson will not be there comes as no surprise. Tom Pelissero’s report was still that Watson still wants to be traded:

#Texans Star QB Deshaun Watson will not be participating in OTAs and would like to continue trading per source.

Watson has denied wrongdoing related to recent legal proceedings that have slowed the process of deciding his future. But his position hasn’t changed: Watson wants out of Houston.

– Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 24, 2021

Things get terribly interesting when June 15th arrives and (a) there is no resolution to Watson’s legal issue and / or (b) he has not yet been acted upon as this is the start of the mandatory minicamp and through the letter from Nach the law requires Watson to appear for absenteeism or face fines. Whether he shows up or not, I suspect Watson’s ultimate desire remains to play elsewhere in 2021 and beyond.

Once in 2021 NFL Draft came and went, the actual teams that would be in the trading market for Watson largely changed as teams like the Jets, Bears, and 49ers found long-term solutions in the first round of drafting at Quarterback. However, a new group of applicants has emerged in the past three weeks and it is understood that they will call as soon as Watson’s situation becomes clearer. Those teams, firmly in the second round of the Watson rumor mill, are, in no particular order, Philadelphia, Carolina, Denver, Las Vegas, Washington, and Miami.

When you look at this list of teams, it strikes me that there are no world bats. Indeed after Peter Kings NFL Power Rankings Earlier this week, most of these teams are in the bottom third of the league. Even if they all represent rosters that are at least slightly better than the Texans’, these teams all have problems with the culture and / or the front office. In other words, is Deshaun really trading his situation with the Texans for one that is significantly better? And if it’s not noticeably better, what would stop Deshaun from demanding another deal in a few years’ time.

Let’s look at each of them, with their Peter King Power Ranking (the higher the number, the worse they are) in front of the team name. Here we go:

28.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-11-1, missed playoffs)
As I mentioned earlier, this is currently the best trading partner for the TexansFrom Deshaun’s point of view, he would go to a team with THIS man as the next head coach:

Good luck with it.

26. CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-11, missed playoffs)
When Watson’s situation was complicated by the 22 lawsuits, Carolina took a step to acquire Sam Darnold as the next quarterback. However, if Watson became available, one might think that Panther owner Dave Tepper, who is allegedly in love with Watson (or at least was before the lawsuits), would do another run at Watson. If he went to Carolina, Watson would be playing for a sophomore NFL coach in Matt Rhule, who is very unproven and has a below average overall talent squad.

25. DENVER BRONCOS (6-10, missed playoffs)
It is widely believed that Watson’s major problem with the Texans centered on a damaged relationship with owner Cal McNair. Well, if Houston ownership is the problem, Watson would have a hell of a big time justifying a deal with Denver, where the team’s ownership situation has been a mess since the death of longtime owner Pat Bowlen. The family argues over who should sort things out in Mile High City.

23.LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (8-8, missed playoffs)
The Raiders are led by Jon Gruden, who is three years on a ten year, fully guaranteed contract to coach the team. Here’s the problem – Gruden is one of the most overrated trainers in the business. Since Gruden won a Super Bowl in 2002 with a team that Tony Dungy had built up in Tampa for about half a decade, he has contested the playoffs twice in nine seasons, combined across the Bucs and Raiders, and still has the playoffs not sniffed round with the raiders.

15.WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (7-9, won NFC East)
Again, if Watson’s property issues are related, authorize a deal with Washington Soccer Team would mean playing in Daniel Snyder for perhaps the worst owner in the league. Personally, I am looking for this potential hypocrisy. That would be fun.

11.MIAMI DOLPHINS (10-6, missed playoffs)
OK, this is the only scenario where the grass is definitely greener for Watson than it is in Houston. The dolphins have great weapons including the very famous Will Fuller. Miami has great weather and nightlife. Brian Flores is seen as a rising young coach. Most importantly, there’s nothing really poisonous about the Dolphins culture other than the fact that they haven’t won a playoff game since 2000.

Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. You can also follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast and like him on Facebook facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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