I wrote at the beginning of the 2020 season, if the Steelers could have someone from the Texans, I would like Deshaun Watson.
Let’s make it clear before starting this conversation, I don’t think it will happen. However, it is possible for the Steelers to negotiate with Watson. Texans have very little drawing capital thanks to some bad deals. They also need to deal with a limit situation. Houston has a problem and they are ready to rebuild. Still, Deshaun Watson is competitive and wants to win. There are countless reports that he wants to leave, and I don’t blame him.
The Steelers do not have a history of aggressive negotiations like this, especially involving draft capital due to their propensity to build their team through draft every year. However, Texans need picks for reconstruction. With that said, the Steelers could offer the 24th choice, the 56th choice of the 2021 draft, Diontae Johnson, and a choice of the 1st round of the next two drafts, or possibly just one of the next two first and a second round somewhere.
It is very capital of the draft, along with a young and ultra-talented wide receiver who has a lot of potential for his career. We might as well see Johnson labeled an all-professional more than once when his career ended, because of how great a runner and ball carrier he is. Johnson really just needs more consistency when catching the ball and becomes one of the best recipients in the league, no doubt.
You’re probably wondering if I’m crazy right now. The truth is that Deshaun Watson is the only reason Houston has won every game this season. He does not have a racing game, a relatively bad reception group, besides Will Fuller and Brandon Cooks, a bad offensive line and no defense. On a talent level, Deshaun Watson is comparable to the likes of Patrick Maholmes and Russel Wilson, although he is only 25 years old. It carries a great success in the years 2022-2024, but it may be open for restructuring and extension with the right team. In 2021, carrying a ceiling of $ 15 million, he would provide more financial flexibility for the next season than Ben could. I’m saying that the Steelers can keep the main pieces next season, while improving their list through a free agency in hopes of winning a Super Bowl in 2021.
The Steelers would need Ben Roethlisberger to retire before they can offer the exchange, since they can’t cut Ben, he did a lot for the organization and they wouldn’t have the limit to take him and Watson in 2021 now. It is very unlikely that this exchange will happen, but if there was a quarterback available who could overcome this offensive line and the lack of an attack in progress, it would be Watson. Moreso, with a young, but still elite, defensive core, being able to block a generational talent in the long-term quarterback would give Steelers a team ready for the playoffs in the next decade.
I don’t think this exchange would happen, but I really believe that Pittsburgh should be ready to send 4 or 5 choices to a quarterback who is likely to end up in the hall of fame when his career is over. I don’t see how the Steelers can go wrong here. Especially since if Ben retires and they get Watson, they’ll be the contenders for the Super Bowl again, even after being humiliated by the Browns in the playoff wild card round.