Deshaun Watson: Is the juice worth the squeeze for Panthers?

Deshaun Watson is still the talk of the town after handing in a trade request, but would the juice be worth the squeeze for the Carolina Panthers in their pursuit of the quarterback?

It might be some time yet before the future of Deshaun Watson is finally resolved. The gifted quarterback has made his feelings known regarding a desire to move away from the Houston Texans after being disenchanted by a lack of involvement in key decisions, which has culminated in the fractured relationship between the player and owner Cal McNair now passed the point of no return.

Houston isn’t giving up. The organization remains steadfast in their belief that they can convince Watson to stay around, although the signal-caller screening David Culley’s calls would not be classed as the best start in their pursuit of keeping the player around.

This is a precarious situation. The longer they wait, the fewer teams will enter the bidding war as they go in a different direction this offseason.

The Carolina Panthers would definitely be in the hunt for Watson given their intentions to get better at the quarterback position this offseason. They narrowly missed out on bringing Matthew Stafford to the franchise and although they’d have to give up an extraordinary amount to acquire Watson, getting an elite player at the position in his prime is something that would benefit them in no uncertain terms.

There is a small matter of the asking price, which is reported to be multiple first-round picks, some other draft capital, and a couple of young players on defense if Houston does decide to grant Watson’s wish. This has sparked huge debate within Carolina’s fanbase as to whether the trade is viable and only the likes of general manager Scott Fitterer – together with head coach Matt Rhule – will know for sure.