Houston Texas quarterback Deshaun Watson, a three-time NFL Pro Bowler, could envision himself donning purple next season.
The Minnesota Vikings, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are among the primary teams on his radar when looking for a potential fit for his services. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday that the process for Watson and his camp is already underway.
“The Texans quarterback, who spent the 2021 season on the team’s active roster but did not play, has begun evaluating potential fits for his services in 2022, with the Buccaneers and Vikings among teams on his radar,” wrote Fowler.
Of course, Watson still faces serious allegations after 22 civil cases were filed against him by women alleging sexual misconduct.
So it’s a slippery slope in regards to the future with Watson from a legal standpoint. From strictly a competitive standpoint, the 26-year-old could shoot to the moon as one of the best quarterbacks in the league in the right situation.
He still managed to produce for a dysfunctional Texans franchise that left him void of weapons and an offensive line. The thought of throwing to the likes of Justin Jefferson with Dalvin Cook coming out of the offensive backfield is enough to pique any quarterback’s interest.
NFL insider and former ESPN analyst Jordan Schultz reported back in January that the Vikings were the “biggest sleeper” to land Watson.
Minnesota still has the issue of dealing with Kirk Cousins’ exorbitant contract, which counts $45 million against the salary cap in 2022—the third-highest among quarterbacks in the league. Watson would obviously be an upgrade with a higher ceiling given his age.
The option of trading Cousins is still very much on the table. If anything, this is another avenue newly-hired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and soon-to-be Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell could possibly explore.
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