Should the New England Patriots try and trade for Deshaun Watson?

Could the New England Patriots swoop in and make a Deshaun Watson trade?

Ever since legendary quarterback Tom Brady made the decision to leave the New England Patriots in free agency leading up to the 2020 NFL season to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ending his time with the only franchise he has played for, the Patriots have been on the search for a quarterback to lead the franchise.

Before the year began after Brady decided to leave, New England took a chance with veteran quart back Cam Newton to take things over under center in 2020, signing the dual-threat quarterback as a free agent after he parted ways with the Carolina Panthers.

With the regular season now over and the Patriots’ season also coming to an end, the Newton experiment hasn’t necessarily worked out how Bill Belichick and company had hoped it might in New England, which means the organization might have to go on the search for another quarterback before the 2021 campaign approaches.

The Patriots could ultimately look towards free agency once again this offseason or they could take one of the handful of talented quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft to develop as the quarterback of the future. But there might be a talented quarterback who could become available via trade as the offseason progresses.

Earlier this week in the first full week of the offseason for teams not taking part in the playoffs, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter reported that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been frustrated with his current team, notably after the organization hired former Patriots executive Nick Caserio as Houston’s new general manager.

According to Schefter, Watson “offered input on potential general manager candidates, but the Texans neither considered nor consulted with those endorsed by their franchise quarterback.” Schefter went on to add that Watson found out about the hire of Caserio like everyone else on social media, which isn’t a great way for a franchise quarterback to learn about a new decision-maker within his organization.

With frustrations boiling between the 25-year-old quarterback and the Texans, could Watson end up asking for a trade out of Houston and forcing the organization’s hand to deal him elsewhere? That’s not out of the question right now.

The New England Patriots should certainly make a push for a Deshaun Watson trade.

If Watson does emerge on the trade market, New England should do all it can to trade for the franchise quarterback to lead the Patriots in 2021 and beyond. And they now have a familiar face in Houston with Caserio that they could work with to try and make a deal suitable for both teams.

Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, has a lot of football still ahead of him in his career and would be a long-term answer for New England under center if a trade were to happen. In 2020, Watson finished up his fourth season in the NFL and with the Texans, throwing for a career-high 4,823 yards in 16 games. He also notched career-best marks of 382 completions, 33 touchdowns and completion percentage of 70.2 percent with a career-low seven interceptions.

Watson has also shown the ability to use his legs and run the ball as well, finishing the 2020 campaign with 90 rushes for 444 yards and three touchdowns, averaging just under 30 yards per game on the ground.

When it comes to actually trying to make a trade for Watson, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots have enough assets to make it happen. At least when compared to what other teams in the NFL could offer Houston.

New England does have the cap space to make a trade like this happen and it could pay Watson with that available room. If the Patriots don’t believe they will be able to get a franchise-changing quarterback at pick No. 15 in the 2021 NFL Draft, then they should attach that pick and other picks to go all-in on Watson. Likely, it would have to include that No. 15 pick along with a few other draft picks this year and next year, as well as potentially attaching New England quarterback Jarrett Stidham to a trade package.

It will be interesting to see how the Watson situation plays out in Houston and if the Texans are able to fix what appears to be a rocky relationship currently with their franchise quarterback. If that relationship isn’t able to be repaired and a trade becomes an option, the Patriots need to be on the other end of the phone immediately.