It’s unclear whether these calls have actually been answered, or if they’ve gone straight to voicemail.
But at least five teams have phoned the Houston Texans to inquire about a potential trade for wantaway quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain told “BMitch and Finlay” Tuesday on 106.7 The Fan in Washington.
The teams who called were not disclosed, but McClain, who’s covered the NFL at the Chronicle for 45 years, believes that if new Texans general manager Nick Caserio doesn’t think Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is a franchise signal-caller, the best trade fit is with the Jets.
“That’s the only way you can be guaranteed of getting the second-best quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence; that might be Zach Wilson,” McClain said.
One team that does not appear to be in the mix, per McClain, is the Washington Football Team, which cut 2019 first-rounder Dwayne Haskins before the end of the 2020 season and is parting ways with veteran Alex Smith.
The Texans insist they’re not trading Watson, who insists he’ll never play for them again. Someone will have to blink first eventually, and McClain says Watson, 25, is “not gonna report” for Texans training camp if he’s still on the team. Watson could hold out and return to play in just enough games so that his contract doesn’t toll.
“To me, they have to trade him,” McClain said of the Texans.
