The NFL season kicks off in just a few days, but there could still be a massive quarterback change on the horizon. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not be playing for Houston this year and has yet to officially receive a suspension or be placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list. Because of this, trade rumors surrounding Deshaun Watson appear to be heating up, with the Carolina Panthers listed as a top landing spot.
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NFL Rumors: Deshaun Watson, Carolina Panthers Linked in Trade Talks
The Sources for the Trade Rumors
Before we discuss the implications of a trade, we first need to address the sources of the potential deal. On Saturday afternoon, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk posted an article claiming that Watson will be traded in the coming days. He makes this claim based on “[m]ultiple executives from teams not directly involved in the discussions.”
Florio adds that, according to these sources, the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins are believed to be the frontrunners for Watson’s services. Both teams were in the running earlier in the offseason but appeared to be out of the running in recent weeks. The Panthers acquired Sam Darnold prior to the NFL Draft, while Miami appears committed to Tua Tagovailoa.
Of course, Florio is only one person, and one should never commit too much to the reporting of one individual, especially when there are other reports out there. According to Jonathan Jones, the Carolina Panthers are “not entertaining a trade for Deshaun Watson”. Similar to Florio, Jones cites anonymous sources for this report.
The Panthers are not entertaining a trade for Deshaun Watson at this time, I'm told. Things could eventually change pending the outcomes of these 22 lawsuits against Watson, but for now Carolina isn't in on any potential trade.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) August 28, 2021
Who to Believe?
When on the field, Deshaun Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the game. The former first-round pick is truly capable of making anything happen on any given play, and his down-to-down consistency has improved dramatically over the years. However, the off-field issues make him far too risky.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Watson is currently staring down 22 individual lawsuits for civil cases for sexual misconduct. Even looking beyond the moral implications of trading for a player like this, it would be foolish to send over too many assets before the NFL imposes some type of punishment. The Houston Texans aren’t going to give him away for nothing, and the Panthers (or Dolphins) shouldn’t be willing to give away too many resources for someone in Watson’s position.
Quite frankly, the best move for Carolina is to wait this one out. Sam Darnold has been a bit of a mixed bag through the preseason, and he probably isn’t going to be the long-term answer. That said, he’s the best option on the roster for now, and he isn’t staring down an inevitable suspension.
The best move for the franchise is to carry forward with Darnold under center. If all he ever needed was a change of scenery, then Carolina already has their quarterback of the future. On the other hand, if he continues to play like he did in New York, then the Panthers will probably have a top-10 pick in 2021. At that point, the team can either use their strong draft capital to acquire Watson, or simply draft another quarterback.
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