Deshaun Watson is the Holy Grail NFL teams are sure to pursue this spring. He’s a superstar quarterback in his prime and just got done signing an extension that locks him up through 2025. His salary cap hit in 2021 is more than manageable and the guy is renowned for being a tremendous leader and human being. Anybody would want him to be the face of the franchise. Including the Chicago Bears. So do they even have a prayer. Not insider Adam Schefter believes so.
Now he didn’t go so far as to say they’re a favorite. Not with so many other teams involved. However, he also sees no reason why Watson wouldn’t want to come to Chicago. One big fear a lot of Bears fans have is that the 25-year old would hesitate to join the Bears because GM Ryan Pace decided to pass on him in the 2017 draft in favor of Mitch Trubisky.
Schefter made a few things clear about that, starting with Watson’s motivation.
“I don’t think Deshaun Watson is going to be overly selective to where he goes as long as it’s not Houston.”
It’s apparent more than ever that Watson wants out of Houston in the worst way. He’s tired of the organization and especially the two men at the top. Owner Cal McNair and his right-hand man Jack Easterby. Their constant mismanagement of what was once a playoff-caliber roster combined with the lack of respect they’ve shown him has led to a huge falling out. One the Texans are desperately trying to fix but to no avail thus far.
Schefter told Waddle & Silvy of ESPN 1000 something like a draft snub four years ago won’t be anywhere close to his top priority in finding a new home.
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“Now, again, I think are probably a handful of places that would not interest him for various reasons. Business reasons. Personal reasons. Him watching the way the league operates. But I don’t have any reason to believe Chicago is one of those franchises. So why would the Bears not be interested? Why would he not be interested?
Again, I don’t think that he’s going to say, ‘Oh boy, they overlooked me. They didn’t talk to me when I was drafted and I am eliminating world-class city because of that.’ I just don’t see that.”
This is good news for the Bears. It at least eliminates one of the primary reasons Watson would have for not coming to Chicago. Meaning they should be able to sell him on a trade. The hard part of course will be finding a package that can beat other teams pursuing him.
Adam Schefter made it clear the Watson sweepstakes will be massive
Every team short of those that already have a young franchise quarterback can and probably will get involved. This includes the Jacksonville Jaguars who hold the #1 overall pick in the draft. Houston certainly could be intrigued by sending Watson to them in exchange for the rights to another potential star from Clemson in Trevor Lawrence. What a subplot that would turn out to be.
Other teams are sure to be involved as well like the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Carolina Panthers. All of whom can offer not only a top 10 pick but also a quarterback in return. This is what makes the Bears’ situation so perilous. They not only don’t have a top 10 pick but also no quarterback the Texans would be remotely interested in.
So they’d have to get really aggressive with future picks to get in the game.
Maybe even include some of their promising younger players as well. This is why the Bears have to be considered a long shot in this chase. That shouldn’t stop them from trying though. Watson is the sort of talent who is worth paying such a high price. Adam Schefter at least provided some hope. It falls to lots of luck to see it through the rest of the way.
