The race for Deshaun Watson seems to be getting close to the finish line. On Thursday night, it was reported that the last two teams remaining in the Watson sweepstakes were the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.
A Friday report states that the Falcons would be “surprised” not to land the three-time Pro Bowler.
I’m told Falcons brass has ‘keys to the city’ to bring a trade home with Deshaun Watson & would be ‘surprised’ if that doesn’t occur based on strong mutual interest & conversations. Separately I expect Watson to receive new money in a restructured contract once any trade is done.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 18, 2022
This would certainly be a huge move for the Falcons, who have deployed Matt Ryan as their starting quarterback for many seasons.
Watson hasn’t played since the 2020 season, and a grand jury recently decided not to indict him in relation to multiple sexual assault allegations.
During his time in the league, Watson has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 14,539 yards and 104 touchdowns. He is undoubtedly one of the most talented quarterbacks in the entire league.
The former first-round pick led the league with 4,823 passing yards in the 2020 season. In the same season, he also threw for 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while completing 70.2 percent of his passes.
It would certainly be interesting to see what the Falcons would give up in a deal for Watson. It doesn’t seem like the Houston Texans would be interested in acquiring Ryan.
As for the Saints, they might have to look elsewhere for a starting quarterback for next season. They’ve been linked to Jameis Winston, who was the team’s starter last season before suffering a torn ACL, but nothing has been determined so far.
It’s already been a fairly eventful NFL offseason, and it seems like things won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
