In addition to Deshaun Watson’s cryptic tweets signaling the offseason has begun, another time-honored tradition are rumors that the three-time quarterback will be traded.
No need to link to that bosh; just go to your favorite search engine and type “Deshaun Watson trade.”
Do you know hard it is to acquire a franchise quarterback? Ask the Chicago Bears. They’re still looking for theirs since Sid Luckman. Maybe they would have had one in the 1980s if Charles Martin hadn’t body-slammed Jim McMahon and sent him on a road of injury misery that marred his career.
Speaking of Bears quarterbacks, ever wonder how Jay Cutler ended up in Chicago? In 2009, when another Bill Belichick acolyte named Josh McDaniels was hired by the Denver Broncos, he actively tried to acquire New England Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel, who McDaniels had worked with and led to an 11-5 record the year before when Tom Brady tore his ACL in Week 1. McDaniels ran off a starting quarterback because it wasn’t “his guy” and ended up getting fired midway through is second season.
Do you think new Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio didn’t pay attention to his former colleague’s big blunder with the Broncos?
Caserio was with the Patriots going back to 2001. In addition to seeing what stability under center can do for a franchise, he has also seen the abject failure franchises go through constantly evaluating the quarterback position. The New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills were all dumpster fires at quarterback with first-round busts, failed free agents, and undrafted hopium at quarterback — all en route to losing seasons and making New England’s path to the postseason all the less difficult.
How about the most recent season the Patriots endured? Brady goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New England has to choose between Jarrett Stidham and Cam Newton — a situation akin to what their division rivals had to endure since 2000. The results were evident as the Patriots finished 7-9, their first losing record since Bill Belichick took over in 2000.
Caserio has to find a new coach and execute a soft rebuild. That doesn’t sound so bad compared to the Jacksonville Jaguars, for example, who have to hire a new coach, initiate a total rebuild, and find a new quarterback. Houston, Indianapolis, and Tennessee may be getting easy wins for the next couple years.
Trading Watson would be that catalyst to hurl Houston into a state they have no reason to be in. Why would Caserio get rid of a franchise quarterback hoping to get something better?
Watson earned his third Pro Bowl, set the Texans’ franchise record for single-season passing yards and touchdowns, and also won the league passing title — all the while the rest of the team failed to produce around him. Just give Watson a team, and he can be the catalyst to get the club back into playoff contention.
If Caserio traded Watson, Houston would be in a rebuild that they probably could never come out of and be reminiscent of the pre-playoff seasons — 6-10 finishes, perpetually third in the division, “maybe next year” as the Texans are nothing more than filler between the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets.
No one would give Caserio another shot after that. He could go back to New England, like McDaniels did after his colossal failure in Denver and one-year stint as the St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator. Aside from the Colts getting jilted in 2018, no one else has given McDaniels a chance.
Caserio has more to gain working with Watson than working to get rid of him.
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