4 Panthers who’d benefit most from Deshaun Watson trade

Which members of the Carolina Panthers would benefit most if they were successful in landing quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans?

The rumor mill is buzzing surrounding the future of Deshaun Watson. After weeks of voicing his displeasure through close sources and social media, the quarterback finally requested a trade from the Houston Texans on Thursday and the Carolina Panthers have been heavily linked with a bombshell move to acquire the former first-round pick in a bid to boost their fortunes.

A lot needs to go Carolina’s way for this deal to come off. One would suspect that the Panthers might try and include Teddy Bridgewater in any deal for Watson, which is going to be a hard sell considering his inconsistent level of production throughout the 2020 campaign.

There is also the fact other interested parties could have more to offer – although Watson would need to sign off on any trade to make it a reality and he is reportedly keen on moving back to an area where he starred for Clemson in college.

Acquiring Watson would be franchise-altering.

But whether the Panthers can pull it off is another matter entirely.

This is sure to be a quickly evolving situation that will see half or more of the teams across the league putting in a call to the Texans. Most of them will get laughed off the call. But the Panthers might just be able to convince Houston to pull the trigger if Watson makes it clear he wants to play for the organization.

If this trade comes off, here are four Panthers who’d benefit most from Watson’s potential arrival.

Panther No. 1

David Tepper – Carolina Panthers owner

One man who’s made no secret of his desire for someone different under center is David Tepper. The Carolina Panthers owner finally has his guys in place and has laid out a significant amount of money so far generating some exciting plans for progression both on and off the field.

If Deshaun Watson does end up on the Panthers, Tepper will benefit tremendously.

Not only will he have one of the best in the business leading the charge from the quarterback spot. But it would also propel Carolina into the national spotlight for the first time prominently since Cam Newton was in his prime.

This will surely come with extra commercial opportunities, shirt sales that would go through the roof with Watson’s arrival, and it will provide a stronger foundation to build the sort of brand Tepper envisaged when he purchased the organization from Jerry Richardson.