James Harden forced his way out of Houston and it looks like Deshaun Watson is about to, as well. The relationship between Watson and the front office of the Texans has rapidly deteriorated this offseason, stemming from the organization’s initial refusal to even interview coach and GM candidates Watson wanted involved in the search after promising he would be involved in the conversation.
Now, Watson is apparently willing to waive his no-trade clause and has no plans to play another snap in Houston. That means soon an NFL team is going to get an elite playmaker who is only 25 years old with as much upside as any quarterback outside of Kansas City.
Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t at least call, but the unfortunate truth is that his organization simply doesn’t have the pieces to pull off this kind of trade.
First and foremost, Carolina lacks the draft picks that other potential trade partners have. The Miami Dolphins are apparently Watson’s preferred destination and they hold the No. 3 overall pick – which they got from the Texans in another trade. Miami also has some quality young players on cap-friendly deals – also a scarce resource for this Panthers squad. Any deal for Watson will likely require a ton of both.
If this franchise had been managed better by Marty Hurney, Carolina might have the assets to compete with teams that are likely to be calling about Watson. Right now, those pieces just aren’t there.
Trading for Watson would be a dream come true. Odds are it’s just not going to happen, though. It will fall to Fitterer to rebuild this franchise so that the next time a chance comes along to land a phenom like Watson they’ll be in better position to do so.
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