New information about what the Houston Texans want for Deshaun Watson has emerged, but will the Carolina Panthers meet these demands?
It is now a little bit clearer as to what the Carolina Panthers might need to cough-up in their pursuit of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. The asking price for the player is incredibly high – which is to be expected given his talent and the fact he’s only just entering his prime – but whether any team across the league can meet these demands is another matter entirely.
This will be something for the Panthers to ponder in the coming weeks. They are clearly in the market for a new player at the position after Teddy Bridgewater’s inconsistent 2020 campaign and with reports emerging that they were willing to give the Detroit Lions the No. 8 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft and more for Matthew Stafford, it appears the organization is willing to make some incredible sacrifices to get better production under center.
According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are looking for “at least” two first-round picks, a pair of second-rounders, and a couple of talented defensive players thrown in for good measure.
A high price, indeed.
But one that the Panthers might be willing to pay to land an elite quarterback who could transform the fortunes of the franchise.
There will still be a queue of teams looking to make a deal despite the extortionate compensation they’ll have to part with. Players like Watson don’t grow on trees and rarely become available at this stage of their careers. So moving heaven and earth to acquire the star is something almost everybody in the league will contemplate.
So with this additional information, here are three trade packages that could tempt the Texans into sending Watson to Carolina.
Carolina Panthers trade package No. 1
This ticks all the boxes if reports about what the Houston Texans want for Deshaun Watson are correct. The Carolina Panthers would be giving up their top-two NFL Draft selections in 2021 and 2022, providing them with two defensive starters who are proven and also throwing a quarterback in for good measure.
Whether the Texans would take this is another matter entirely. Convincing them to take on Kawann Short and Teddy Bridgewater’s salaries would be a tough sell and Shaq Thompson is also in line for a massive increase in pay next season.
Short has also had his troubles with injury over the last two years. But there is nothing to suggest he cannot play at a high level once again if these problems don’t resurface.
Given how inconsistent Bridgewater was in 2020, Houston would be skeptical about bringing him in with almost no weapons to utilize in the passing game after they traded away DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller becoming a free-agent this spring.
However, this deal would also include the No. 8 overall selection, which could be spent on a potential franchise signal-caller. So Bridgewater would be a nice stop-gap until they can release him with minimal cost in 2022.
The Texans might also want defensive players who are a little younger and with less in the way of financial commitment from their perspective.
Carolina Panthers trade package No. 2
The thought of trading away Christian McCaffrey seems unfathomable. But if positional importance has any say in this scenario whatsoever, if the Houston Texans want the star running back, then a conversation needs to be had.
Ideally, the Carolina Panthers would like to bring Deshaun Watson to the organization and keep McCaffrey. Having this prolific duo in the same backfield would be a mouth-watering prospect that would give opposing defenses countless nightmares. But if this is what it takes to make the trade happen, then so be it.
Yetur Gross-Matos might be someone who the Texans are keen on. They could also be losing JJ Watt this offseason after a standout career with the franchise and the 2020 second-round pick did show flashes of brilliance during a rookie campaign that was hampered by injury and a spell on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Getting a sixth-rounder on top of Watson might not seem like much, but general manager Scott Fitterer played a key role in the Seattle Seahawks finding some real gems late in the draft and this is a deep class for offensive linemen, which is an area Carolina needs to bolster in no uncertain terms.
Just how well this would go down with the Panthers’ loyal fanbase is up for debate. The asking price seems to be putting more people off by the day, but if owner David Tepper has any say in the matter, they’ll go for broke.
Carolina Panthers trade package No. 3
It’s going to take a king’s ransom to land Deshaun Watson. Anyone who thinks otherwise despite his obvious unhappiness is kidding themselves.
A bounty of top-end NFL Draft picks is just the start. The Houston Texans also want players who can make a difference for them in 2021 and possibly beyond, which might be a little rich for many people’s blood, but the benefits to getting Watson are endless for the Carolina Panthers.
This is a “go hard or go home” scenario, so parting ways with cornerback Donte Jackson could end up being a realistic proposition despite the significant lack of depth at the position.
Jackson looked like a No. 1 corner once he finally rid himself of the toe problem that made his contribution minimal during the first half of the campaign. The former LSU standout is looking for a new deal after this season and although the salary-cap might look more prosperous by this time, there is just no telling what financial resources will be available given how much COVID-19 is still impacting everything around us.
Losing Jackson would mean the Panthers need to go after a couple of experienced cornerbacks with what little money there is available, re-sign either Corn Elder or Rasul Douglas, and hope the rookie duo of Troy Pride Jr. and Stantley Thomas-Oliver can make some serious strides in the coming months.
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Shaq Thompson clearly needs a strong linebacker alongside him to get the best out of the player. This is something the Texans could offer with Zach Cunningham and adding Teddy Bridgewater to the package would be the icing on the cake from Carolina’s point of view.