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The Deshaun Watson trade rumors continue to swirl around the NFL. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently reported that the Carolina Panthers are "keeping an eye" on a possible trade for the Houston Texans' Pro Bowl quarterback.
Florio went on to report that Panthers owner David Tepper, despite trading for Sam Darnold this offseason, is still looking to find a franchise quarterback. Additionally, Florio stated that the Panthers are only looking to acquire Watson if he can be obtained for a "reasonable amount."
On the field, Watson fits the billing of the franchise quarterback Tepper is looking for. Off the field, there are tons of question marks with Watson.
Watson is currently facing 10 criminal complaints and 22 civil lawsuits. The complaints and lawsuits pertain to alleged sexual misconduct committed by Watson.
Even with Watson's pending legal issues, it's clear the Panthers are still interested in trading for the star quarterback at the right price. It begs the question, what exactly would a Watson to Carolina trade look like?
What would a Deshaun Watson to Carolina Panthers trade look like?
Earlier this offseason, NFL insider Chris Mortensen reported that the Texans are seeking a combination of five high draft picks and starting-caliber players in return for Watson.
Under normal circumstances, trading for a quarterback of Watson's caliber would certainly cost a team the haul the Texans are looking for.
That said, this isn't a normal situation. Watson is still dealing with the aforementioned legal issues and while he's able to practice right now, his status is up in the air for the 2021 regular season.
It's unreasonable for Houston to expect a team to meet their demands when, at any moment, Watson could be suspended for a significant portion of the 2021 season.
Not to mention, if proven guilty of any of the current allegations, an NFL suspension will be the least of Watson's worries. Simply put, it's a risky time to trade for Watson, thus his value is assuredly lower than what the Texans ideally want.
While Watson's future is unclear, that in no way means an NFL team won't take a chance on him if the reward outweighs the risk in a trade package. The idea of getting a star quarterback for the next 15 years is of great intrigue for a number of NFL teams.
Considering his decreased value, if the Panthers were to trade their 2022 and 2024 first-round picks along with their 2023 second-round pick and young edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos, it may get the job done.
It's nowhere near the preferred five high draft picks and multiple starting-caliber players, but it's still a nice haul for a guy with legal issues.
In this scenario, both the Panthers and Texans win. It's hard to imagine any NFL team giving up more than the outlined potential Panthers trade for Watson.
How much better would Deshaun Watson make the Carolina Panthers?
When talking purely about football, Watson would be an amazing acquisition for the Panthers. The Panthers are an up-and-coming team in the NFL. They have a good foundation consisting of young players and veterans, but they're still missing that final piece at quarterback.
Maybe Darnold can be that quarterback, but it's no sure thing. With Watson, Carolina would be getting the sure thing. Last season, Watson led the NFL in passing yards with 4,823. He also had 33 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions. Watson was a top-five NFL quarterback last year.
Giving head coach Matt Rhule and upstart offensive coordinator Joe Brady one of the top quarterbacks in the league would make for a dynamic Panthers offense.
Wideouts D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson would have career years with Watson. Even more notably, the duo of Watson and Christian McCaffrey would become the best quarterback and running back combo in the sport.
Carolina would quickly become playoff contenders with Watson. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would still rule the NFC South, but a second-place finish and wild-card playoff spot would be likely. That's a big jump up from where the Panthers have been the past couple of years.
