Deshaun Watson Seeking A Trade? The Bears Indeed Have A Shot

People thought the 2020 offseason was a pretty crazy one for quarterbacks. As it turns out, the 2021 version is shaping up to be even crazier. Already there is serious speculation some prominent names could be made available like Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford. Not to mention the possibility Miami could move on from Tua Tagovailoa after just one season. Yet the biggest development is the one involving Deshaun Watson. It appears all is not well in the land of Houston. The Texans already fired the man who drafted the All-Pro quarterback in 2017 in Rick Smith. That left his future in the hands of head coach Bill O'Brien. A decision that didn't end well with the man basically dismantling a pretty good roster to the point Houston finished this season 4-12. This despite Watson having the best season of his career with 4,800 yards, 33 TDs, and seven interceptions.

This got him to his third-straight Pro Bowl nomination.

Yet the quarterback doesn't appear happy about it. He's not used to losing and it doesn't appear the Texans are on the cusp of making a rapid turnaround. They have limited cap space and no 1st or 2nd round picks in the upcoming draft due to prior trades. Watson is their only viable asset with stars like J.J. Watt succumbing to age. Still, it felt like the search for a new GM was a chance to start fresh. Instead, it felt like more of the same for the quarterback as Houston hired former New England Patriots Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio. A move Watson clearly wasn't happy with. He tweeted as much on Wednesday before quickly deleting it. Caserio comes from the same Patriots pipeline that O'Brien did. Everybody saw how that worked out. It's easy to understand why the quarterback isn't all that thrilled about continuing down that path. History says former Patriots coaches and executives rarely work out away from Bill Belichick. Caserio's track record isn't stellar of late either. This could explain why Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is hearing Watson may consider requesting a trade.

"Rumors already are circulating, and we’ve already heard them from multiple different people, that Watson has quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade. If that’s happening, it may just be a strategic effort to ensure his views are respected by ownership. Regardless, it raises the stakes and crosses a bridge and potentially sets the foundation for Watson eventually to decide that he’d like to continue his career elsewhere."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kLb0bMpkLk&ab_channel=NFL

Bears need to jump in on Deshaun Watson if made available

There is no question any sort of trade for Watson would be massive. As big or even bigger than the one the Bears made for Jay Cutler back in 2009. So if they're going down this road, they better be prepared to pay the price. Is the guy worth it? Yes. The evidence is piled high that he is a star. A genuine franchise quarterback. He's only 25-years old and entering the prime of his career. GM Ryan Pace has suffered the consequences of passing on Watson for Mitch Trubisky for the past four seasons. This could be his opportunity to right that wrong. Pulling off a trade for Deshaun Watson might finally set the Bears up for long-term success. It would be challenging to build around him at first given the likely loss of multiple high draft choices.

However, this could actually work to Pace's strengths.

Remember he has a reputation for finding quality talent later in drafts. So the loss of high picks isn't always a death sentence for somebody like him. Darnell Mooney, their 5th round pick from this past draft is a perfect example. Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars are undrafted free agents. This regime, based on reputation, would be able to build around Watson. Getting him when so many other teams will want him is the hard part.