New Trade Scenario Proposed That Would Bring Deshaun Watson To Minnesota
The biggest offseason story in the NFL is where Deshaun Watson will be playing in 2021. He wants out of Houston and just about every team in the NFL would love to make him their franchise quarterback.
While the Minnesota Vikings aren't likely to make a trade for Watson, that isn't stopping speculation on what kind of trade would need to be done to bring him to the team. The latest comes from Peter King, who laid out different trade scenarios for many teams to land Watson in his Football Morning In America column.
King believes in order for the Vikings to land Watson, they'd have to involve a third team. Here is what he is proposing:
The Vikings send quarterback Kirk Cousins to San Francisco. The Niners send Garoppolo to Houston, if, of course, he’d waive his no-trade. The Texans send Watson to Minnesota. In return: the Niners send their first-round pick in 2021 (12th overall) to Houston, and they’re out. (So San Francisco would be trading Garoppolo and a one to Houston and getting Cousins with two years left on his contract.) The Vikings would send linebacker Anthony Barr and running back Alexander Mattison plus their first-round picks in 2021 (14th overall) and 2023, and second-round picks in 2022 and 2023 in exchange for Watson. Houston’s haul: Garoppolo, two ones this year, a one in 2023, and two second-round picks.
Ultimately, he'd have the Vikings give up Cousins, which would be a given if they were going to have Deshaun Watson. But, they'd also give up Anthony Barr, Alexander Mattison, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. Ouch!
As talented as Watson is, this scenario to me sounds like the Vikings would be giving up way too much. I wouldn't mind the players departing as much as the draft picks, which would hamper the Vikings ability to replace those players and continue to build the team during Watson's first seasons with the Vikings.
When it's all said and done, Deshaun Watson becoming a Minnesota Vikings is a longshot. However, it's always fun to speculate until the next season arrives.