Report: Carolina Panthers’ saga with Deshaun Watson is almost over

The ongoing trade rumors linking Deshaun Watson to the Carolina Panthers are almost at an end, according to a recent report.

It’s been a long, drawn-out saga that’s taken multiple twists and turns in recent months. But quarterback Deshaun Watson won’t be coming to the Carolina Panthers if a recent report comes to fruition.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle – who’s more clued-up than most when it comes to the Houston Texans, Watson is close to being traded to the Miami Dolphins. He added that the move could be confirmed later this week.

Watson has long been linked with the Dolphins and although he’d need to sign off on the trade, the former Clemson star is reportedly keen on the move. The two sides have been talking for months and despite the signal-caller’s current complications away from the gridiron, Miami obviously feels it’s a risk worth taking.

This means the Panthers miss out on a player they were obviously willing to go all-in on during the offseason before some significant legal implications emerged. Watson’s talent is unquestioned, but Carolina decided to pull the plug and go with Sam Darnold from the New York Jets instead, shipping Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick and a whopping $17 million dead-cap figure.

After a strong start, this isn’t going according to plan without Christian McCaffrey.

Darnold needs to turn things around pretty quickly to get people onside. If he can’t, then the Panthers will be on the lookout for their third quarterback in as many years under Matt Rhule in 2022.

There have been calls from sections of the team’s fanbase to go back in for Watson. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports also named the Panthers as a team to keep an eye on before the trade deadline.

However, McClain’s report indicates this ship has now sailed.

"“The Dolphins have been talking to the Texans about Watson off and on for months, and those talks have intensified into serious negotiations. After losing to Jacksonville in London — their fifth consecutive loss — the Dolphins seem more determined to finally execute the Watson trade.”"

Carolina Panthers were intent on landing Deshaun Watson this offseason.

Obviously, this will be a disappointment to some. Especially if the compensation isn’t that great for a player that Houston cast aside during training camp.

But without a Day 2 pick next spring and no guarantee the current investigation surrounding Watson’s will come to a successful conclusion, the Panthers just couldn’t justify such a move. At least not at the present moment, anyway.

If Watson is cleared, then the chance to snap up a franchise quarterback passed them by. And the Panthers take on the Dolphins in Week 12.

However, one suspects that Watson will be put on the Commissioner’s Exempt list until the matter is resolved. The only reason he isn’t on it already is that the Texans are not playing him and have no desire to.

The thought of Watson on this offense was a mouth-watering proposition before the NFL Draft. Adding him to Carolina makes them an instant playoff contender even with a pathetic offensive line – a quarterback that puts any team on his back and makes things happen out of nothing.

Something one couldn’t say about Darnold at this juncture.

This was all about timing and risk versus reward at the end of the day. Team owner David Tepper doesn’t normally take no for an answer and had things been different off the field, then Watson might be in a Panthers uniform right now.

As it turned out, Carolina quit while they were ahead. And now Watson is reportedly heading to the AFC East.