Deshaun Watson - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On FA OL Terron Armstead

March 15th, 2022 at 7:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Terron Armstead should earn himself a nice pay day this offseason, but it sounds like he’d consider taking a discount with the Saints depending on their QB situation. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), Armstead is waiting to see if Deshaun Watson lands in New Orleans before figuring out his next step.

While Armstead is a free agent, he’s presumably among the Saints players actively recruiting Watson to New Orleans, according to Wilson.

Armstead is among the top free agents remaining on the board. The veteran has spent his entire career with the Saints, earning three-straight Pro Bowl nods between 2018 and 2020. The lineman has seen time in 97 career games (93 starts).

The 30-year-old started each of his eight games in 2021. He missed a handful of games with a knee injury, and he’ll reportedly need offseason surgery to repair the ailment.

Falcons To Meet With Deshaun Watson

March 15th, 2022 at 7:18pm CST by Zachary Links

7:18pm: Watson will meet with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The 26-year-old quarterback is a Georgia native, heading to Clemson from Gainesville, Ga., and once worked as a Falcons ball boy. Watson and the Browns finished their meeting Tuesday.

We might be moving close to a trade resolution here, though that is obviously only part of this saga. The Texans appear to have approved trade compensation from the Browns, Panthers and Saints, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Watson meetings were contingent upon it. This would point to the Falcons having made a satisfactory offer as well. Watson reached out to the Falcons about a meeting, Russini adds (on Twitter).

10:55am: The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to trade for Deshaun Watson, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). With that, they join the Panthers, Saints, and Browns on the known list of clubs in pursuit of the Texans quarterback.

Watson is set to meet with the Browns today. As of this writing, the Saints and Panthers are the only clubs reported to have made an offer. Still, the Browns have done plenty of research on Watson – both before trading that fateful draft pick to the Texans and after.

Matt Ryan completed 67% of his passes for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year. Those numbers are more or less in line with his career averages, though the Falcons are now years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance.

The Falcons could see Watson as the solution, though Ryan just agreed to restructure his contract last week. It’s also possible that the Falcons are simply doing their due diligence and/or looking to raise the asking price for their NFC South rivals. The Panthers and Saints are both keenly interested in the embattled QB — even if the Falcons don’t trade for him, they could help to chip away at their draft capital.

Thanks to Ryan’s restructuring, the Falcons opened up an additional $12MM on their 2022 books. On the heels of that move, they hammered out a brand new $50MM+ extension with veteran lineman Jake Matthews.

Latest On Baker Mayfield’s Future With Browns

March 15th, 2022 at 4:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Deshaun Watson could potentially land in Cleveland, but that doesn’t mean Baker Mayfield would be sent to Houston. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Mayfield isn’t a part of the Browns’ trade offer to the Texans.

The Texans are focused on acquiring picks, including a handful of firsts. The Browns’ offer is presumably based on draft capital, and that’s fine with Mayfield…per Cabot, Houston “likely wouldn’t be his top choice for a landing spot.”

If the Browns do somehow acquire Watson, Mayfield would obviously be sent packing in a separate trade, and Cabot notes that the losers of the Watson sweepstakes could pivot to the former first-overall pick. In this hypothetical, the Panthers and Saints would be among the “losers,” and Cabot also mentions the Colts and Seahawks as potential suitors for Mayfield.

In fact, considering the optics of the Watson pursuit, Mayfield might find himself traded even if Cleveland doesn’t complete a deal with Houston. As Cabot writes, Mayfield “would undoubtedly find it awkward to return to Cleveland in 2022 and start for a team that took the Haslams private jet to Houston on Tuesday afternoon to woo his possible replacement.” Mayfield was also critical of Kevin Stefanski’s playcalling last season, and the QB famously hasn’t inked an extension. Mayfield’s future with the organization always seemed like it was on thin ice, but his exit from Cleveland could come sooner than expected.

There’s always a chance that the Browns don’t land Watson, and the organization and Mayfield kiss and make up. However, as Cabot notes, “the visit with Watson seems like a dealbreaker.”

Deshaun Watson To Meet With Browns

March 15th, 2022 at 9:12am CST by Adam La Rose

After visiting two NFC South rivals vying to trade for him, Deshaun Watson has a third team meeting lined up. Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson reports that the quarterback will sit down with the Browns today.

Wilson adds that while New Orleans and Carolina have been at the forefront of pitching the three-time Pro Bowler to come to their respective clubs, Cleveland is amongst the others that are still interested. As he writes, the Browns “are not entirely sold on moving forward with Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback and have fielded exploratory trade calls”.

The only two teams known to have made trade offers for the 26-year-old are the aforementioned Saints and Panthers, but it was reported last week that Cleveland has been keeping a close eye on his legal situation. After trading the pick Houston used to draft Watson in 2017, the Browns were said to have “done their homework” on him, leaving open the possibility of a trade.

Mayfield is under contract for one more season, the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. It carries a value of $18.8MM and is fully guaranteed. While Cleveland has stated their intentions of keeping the former No. 1 pick recently, they are clearly willing to at least entertain the thought of adding an upgrade at the QB spot. Mayfield struggled throughout the 2021 campaign, playing through injury while the Browns fell well short of expectations. Nothing tangible would come from this meeting without Watson being willing to waive his no-trade clause, to say nothing of the trade compensation which the Texans would ask for to make a swap possible.

The Seahawks have also been named as a potential suitor for Watson now that the franchise needs a Russell Wilson replacement. For now, though, the list of teams willing to go as far as meeting in person with the embattled star has increased to three.

Deshaun Watson To Meet With Panthers, Saints

March 14th, 2022 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

4:34pm: It may be an NFC South duel for Watson. The three-time Pro Bowler, as of Monday afternoon, is not willing to waive his no-trade clause for anyone but Carolina or New Orleans, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle said during an appearance on WFNZ (Twitter link). The Saints may have a slight lead in this race, with CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora noting Watson is “lukewarm at best” about the Panthers (Twitter link). While it has been reported Watson would waive his no-trade clause for the Panthers, this may not be his preferred outcome.

Watson has rejected the Seahawks, McClain adds (Twitter link). The Colts, as should be expected, are not in this mix. Though, they may or may not have tried. The Texans denied their AFC South rivals permission to speak with Watson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Seahawks, reported as an interested party over the weekend, are not planning to meet with Watson, per ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter).

More teams are interested, but it certainly appears these two rivals are in the lead. Watson will meet with each team Monday night in Houston, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Watson is also planning to meet with other teams Tuesday, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. This saga could include a trade soon, despite Watson’s civil suits not yet being resolved.

10:17am: Deshaun Watson is expected to meet with the Panthers and Saints in the next couple of days (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). On top of that, Watson will also chat with other interested clubs between now and Wednesday.

The Texans have granted Watson permission to meet with other clubs, which may help to advance the trade talks. Watson holds a no-trade clause, so the Texans have to get his sign-off before completing any deal.

On that note, Watson has not turned down a potential trade to the Panthers (Twitter link via David Newton of ESPN.com). It was long reported that Watson only OK’d a trade to the Dolphins, but Newton hears that’s not the case — at least, when it comes to Carolina. With that in mind, it’s possible that Watson could go along with a trade to the Saints or one of the other interested teams.

The details are not yet known, but the Saints and Panthers have made offers for Watson recently. Meanwhile, the Texans’ asking price has not budged. Houston GM Nick Caserio still says that he wants three first-round picks plus more assets in exchange for the embattled QB. The Panthers, who own the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, could make a compelling offer for the Texans. The Saints, who sit at No. 18, would have to offer more in their package to top their bid.

QB Rumors: Trubisky, Winston, Taylor, Lock

March 13th, 2022 at 4:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants’ new head coach, Brian Daboll, worked with free agent quarterback Mitchell Trubisky when they were both with the Bills last year (Daboll as offensive coordinator). Well, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN, Daboll has interest in luring Trubisky to join him in New York.

There’s been some interest in bringing Trubisky to Pittsburgh, as well, where a path to starting is much more clear. If Daboll’s familiarity with the sixth-year quarterback is able to attract him to the Giants, though, the head coach sees the potential for him to mirror the results of Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. A quick refresher: Tannehill arrived in Nashville in 2019 in a trade with the Dolphins. Tannehill started the season in the role of back up quarterback to the incumbent starter Marcus Mariota. After a 2-4 start to the season, Mariota was benched in favor of Tannehill, who went 7-3 for the rest of the year and led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game.

Daboll holds hope that, while Daniel Jones may retain the starting job in New York, if the need presents itself, Trubisky could provide the same effect as Tannehill.

Some other notes concerning quarterbacks around the league:

Another option the Steelers could be looking into, Jameis Winston is looking like the most likely starting quarterback for the Saints in 2022, according to Graziano. With Teddy Bridgewater headed to free agency, a return to New Orleans could be possible, and Winston may see some opportunities in testing the free agent market, himself. But Winston is a locker room favorite that saw success on the Saints before tearing his ACL midseason last year.
Tyrod Taylor lost the starting job in Houston last year to rookie quarterback Davis Mills. With Mills expected to return to the starting position next year, the Texans do have interest in bringing Taylor back in the role of back up quarterback, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Taylor has chased starting jobs throughout his career and has seen some success at times. He may search for a new opportunity to start, but, if not, Taylor has shown professionalism several times in back up roles mentoring young quarterbacks.
After receiving Drew Lock in the Russell Wilson-trade with the Broncos, Seattle is considering the elements to Lock’s lack of success in Denver, according to Fowler. Some believe that the revolving door of offensive coordinators contributed to his struggles. Seattle is analyzing whether they believe in Pete Carroll‘s ability to develop Lock, who showed glimpses of promise in his early appearances as a Bronco, or whether they need to make moves for Deshaun Watson to win now.

Saints, Panthers Make Offers For Deshaun Watson

March 13th, 2022 at 11:10am CST by Rory Parks

The Saints and Panthers have extended trade offers to the Texans for QB Deshaun Watson, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Watson, who wants to make a fully-informed decision before waiving his no-trade clause, will meet with both teams in the near future (Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets that Houston will grant permission for those meetings).

After a grand jury decided against indicting Watson on Friday, trade rumors predictably picked up in a big way. Carolina has been seen as something of a frontrunner for the three-time Pro Bowler since the Dolphins bowed out of the race, but there are now up to 10 teams involved in the bidding.

So while the details of the Saints’ and Panthers’ offers are not yet known, Pelissero says Houston’s asking price — three first-round picks and more — has not changed, and multiple teams are now willing to pay that price. New Orleans and Carolina both have one first-round pick in the 2022 draft, with the Panthers’ No. 6 overall selection obviously quite a bit more valuable than the Saints’ No. 18 selection.

We have known that Panthers owner David Tepper has been willing to pull the trigger on a Watson deal despite the inevitable PR backlash, and Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com says the same is true of Saints ownership (Twitter link). That probably goes without saying in light of the fact that New Orleans has extended a trade offer, but it’s worth noting that, according to Duncan, the franchise has done “extensive background checks” on Watson and is comfortable with its findings.

With free agency opening this week, there is a sense of urgency to these proceedings, at least for some teams. While the Panthers have not been connected to any free agent passers or second-tier trade targets and may pivot to the draft if their Watson pursuit is unsuccessful, New Orleans is interested in re-signing Jameis Winston and doubtlessly wants to get some clarity on where things stand with Watson before Winston is eligible to sign elsewhere. But since Watson wants to take his time and meet with interested clubs, it looks like the process will take a little longer than certain organizations would like.

Texans GM Nick Caserio has been very methodical with respect to the Watson situation, and he is not going to rush things now that he has so much leverage. Soon enough, his patience will pay off in the form of a massive influx of draft capital to accelerate Houston’s rebuilding efforts.

Buccaneers Have Evaluated Browns QB Baker Mayfield

March 13th, 2022 at 8:17am CST by Rory Parks

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers have evaluated Browns QB Baker Mayfield in case he should become available via trade (Twitter link). The Bucs are reportedly still part of the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, though they could be battling a host of other teams, including the Browns, for his services.

Mayfield’s future in Cleveland is uncertain at the moment. While the club has publicly committed to him as its starting signal-caller for 2022, no extension talks will take place this offseason. As such, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft is scheduled to play out the upcoming campaign on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, worth a fully-guaranteed $18.9MM.

Cleveland’s reluctance to authorize a long-term accord for Mayfield is understandable. After a promising showing as a rookie, the Oklahoma product — along with the rest of the offense — took a major step back during Freddie Kitchen‘s only season as head coach in 2019. Everything was looking rosy for all involved in 2020, Kevin Stefanski‘s first year at the helm, which saw Mayfield post a top-10 QBR en route to a divisional round appearance.

However, the Browns regressed again in 2021, compiling an 8-9 record and failing to make it back to the playoffs. For his part, Mayfield struggled through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder and finished near the bottom of the league in terms of QBR and quarterback rating, so of his four professional seasons, two of them can be fairly classified as major disappointments.

If Cleveland is able to acquire Watson, Mayfield would land squarely on the trade block (unless, of course, he heads to the Texans as part of the Watson deal). Assuming the Bucs like what they have seen on film, they could then make a push for Mayfield to fill the void left by Tom Brady, provided Brady doesn’t reverse course and decide to suit up for Bruce Arians for one more season.

Stroud’s report suggests that the evaluation Tampa Bay has done is more due diligence than anything else. Indeed, it’s unclear if Watson would waive his no-trade clause for the Browns — ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin believes that he would not (Twitter link) — and it presently seems as if any other veteran passer that Cleveland might acquire this offseason (like Marcus Mariota or Mitchell Trubisky) would be brought in as competition for Mayfield, not as a replacement.

Still, it’s yet another indication that the Bucs have every intention of competing in 2022 and adding a legitimate starter to a QB room that currently features only 2021 second-rounder Kyle Trask.

Saints, Vikings Join List Of Deshaun Watson Suitors; Latest On QB’s Market

March 12th, 2022 at 2:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deshaun Watson being cleared of criminal charges Friday will not prevent an NFL suspension, and the Texans quarterback still must navigate the 22 civil cases that emerged from allegations of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct. But several teams are interested in the Pro Bowl passer, pointing toward a big trade haul for Houston.

In addition to the Panthers, Seahawks, Buccaneers and Browns, the Saints and Vikings have emerged as Watson suitors, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports. They join a suddenly robust market, one that does not include the Dolphins, who moved on despite being runaway favorites for Watson last year. The Texans have sought a trade package fronted by three first-rounders. With Friday’s lack of a grand jury indictment a “game-changer” in this pursuit, per Wilson, Houston might land its desired haul or something close to it.

The Browns are “incredibly interested,” Wilson notes, adding that up to 10 teams are monitoring the embattled QB. The Saints paid close attention to Friday’s developments, NFL.com’s Jane Slater tweets, though they have a tricky cap situation. New Orleans has reached out to Houston, however. The Vikings are in on Watson “for the right price,” Wilson adds. Watson was said to be interested in Minnesota and Tampa Bay as destinations last month.

Minnesota has a rather expensive quarterback in Kirk Cousins, who is tied to a fully guaranteed $35MM base salary. Cousins would obviously need to be moved in a Watson-to-Minnesota scenario, and that may mean the Vikings eating some of his contract. That could be tricky, given Watson’s $39MM-per-year deal. Watson is also due a $35MM base salary in 2022. Sitting $15MM-plus over the cap, the Vikings are actually in slightly worse shape than the long-cap-strapped Saints ($6MM over) as of Saturday afternoon.

Still in on Watson, after emerging as a suitor in early 2021, the Panthers are preparing an aggressive offer. David Tepper hired an investigator to look into Watson’s legal matters, Wilson notes, adding that the Texans still want draft assets in addition to the three first-rounders and at least one player for their quarterback. Jameis Winston extension talks have been on the Saints’ radar, and that would better fit New Orleans’ cap situation. But the team has never been shy about executing winter cap gymnastics. Watson would be a considerable upgrade on Winston for the Saints, whose passing game took a major hit after Drew Brees‘ retirement.

This market’s new additions notwithstanding, the Panthers and Seahawks are still viewed as the likely favorites, Wilson tweets. Seattle has a quarterback need for the first time in 10 years and now has three first-round picks over the next two drafts, including this year’s No. 9 overall choice. The Seahawks’ Watson interest surfaced not long after Tuesday’s Russell Wilson trade.

The Eagles are no longer believed to be a key player here. Watson has not shown interest in Philadelphia as a destination, with Wilson adding he has never waived his no-trade clause for the Eagles. The Steelers and Giants also remain pointed in other directions, but many offers could still come the Texans’ way in the coming days.

Panthers Preparing “Aggressive” Offer For Deshaun Watson

March 12th, 2022 at 8:24am CST by Ben Levine

As expected, the Panthers will make a run at Deshaun Watson. According to ESPN’s David Newton, the Panthers are planning to make an “aggressive” trade offer for the Texans quarterback.

Of course, the Panthers’ offer would be contingent on Watson being willing to waive his no-trade clause. When the Panthers tried to negotiate a trade before the trade deadline, they were told that Watson was focused on Miami and wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for Carolina. However, Newton says the clause isn’t anticipated to be an issue, and The Athletic’s Joseph Person writes that the Dolphins’ decision to close the door on a Watson trade has renewed belief within the Panthers organization that Watson will reconsider his no-trade stance. Person also adds that Panthers owner David Tepper “has arguably been the driving force behind the team’s interest in Watson.”

The Panthers were prepared to make a major push for Watson last year, and after initially backing off after the off-field trouble surfaced, they were believed to have made the Texans an offer. Carolina’s quarterback situation moved Matt Rhule to the edge of a hot seat last year, and the team has not had stability at the position since Cam Newton‘s injuries began to pile up. The Panthers still have Sam Darnold‘s fully guaranteed $18.8MM salary on their payroll, but for a player like Watson, the QB-desperate team likely would not view that as a hindrance.

After yesterday’s update to Deshaun Watson‘s legal situation, it is expected his trade market will intensify very quickly. A number of teams have long been known to be interested in the Pro Bowler, with the Panthers, Buccaneers, Browns, and Seahawks already mentioned as potential suitors. As Person points out on Twitter, there’s be an interesting side-story if both Carolina and Seattle ultimately emerge as preferred destinations: Panthers GM Scott Fitterer would be bidding against his former bosses in Seattle, John Schneider and Pete Carroll.