3 potential trades for the Panthers to land Deshaun Watson

How could the Carolina Panthers land Deshaun Watson?

Earlier this week rumors were going around that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson could request a trade this offseason. While the news certainly remains a developing story, Carolina Panthers fans can’t help but wonder what it would be like having the Clemson legend in Charlotte.

Despite having his All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins traded to the Arizona Cardinals back in March, Watson put up the best season of his professional career in 2020. He led the league in passing, posting career highs in yards (4,823) and touchdowns (33) while throwing just seven interceptions on more than 500 attempts.

In addition to his success through the air, he also tacked on 444 yards on the ground and three more scores. The Carolina Panthers meanwhile were presented with, for the most part, very average quarterback play. They obviously elected to move on from Cam Newton, instead opting to sign Teddy Bridgewater.

While Bridgewater’s season numbers were fine, it’s worth noting that the Panthers lost eight one-possession games, despite having a chance to win or tie in the final two minutes each time.

Now granted that the rest of the team played a role in those late-game opportunities as well, the fact that Bridgewater wasn’t able to lead a single game-winning drive is a bad look for the veteran signal-caller.

Wins in just four of those eight games would have secured Carolina a wild-card playoff position.

As a result, now could be the perfect time for the Panthers to scoop up an elite quarterback who can not only take them to the playoffs but also make them a contender sooner rather than later.

The asking price for Watson will without a doubt be steep, but with the Texans not possessing a single 2021 NFL Draft pick in the top three rounds this spring, a few early-round selections along with a solid player or two could be enough as the Texans appear bound for a rebuild.

Let’s take a look at three possible trade scenarios that could see Watson end up in Carolina.