New Denver Broncos general manager George Paton said in his opening statement announcing his hiring that he plans to be “aggressive but not reckless” in building the squad. Just over a day later, Paton told the team’s website that the Broncos will be “involved in all of the business”.
This sets the stage for the latest developments in Deshaun Watson’s trade rumors. Although Watson has not yet officially asked the Texans for an exchange, ESPN is reporting that sources close to Houston believe the disgruntled defender played his last chance for the team that summoned him to 12th overall in 2017.
This buzz caused the odds makers to seriously start betting on where Watson might land next – if in fact he is traded. According SportsBetting.com, the Broncos have a 5/1 chance of winning the three-time Pro Bowler, which is the fourth best in the NFL.
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The teams ranked ahead of Denver in the Watson trade draw are the New York Jets (2/1), Miami Dolphins (3/1) and Chicago Bears (4/1). Once again, the Broncos checked in at No. 4 with a 5/1 chance, followed by Indianapolis Colts at No. 5 with an 8/1 chance.
What once looked like a chimera, at best, suddenly became more and more realistic. 10 days ago, the idea of Texans negotiating Watson was unthinkable.
After all, Texans may have had a forgettable season, but there are only a few months left to give Watson a four-year contract extension worth $ 156 million in new money. He received $ 73.716 million fully guaranteed on the subscription.
This is a big commitment to QB, which made the Houston owner’s behavior even more disconcerting. Watson was supposedly informed by the McNair family that he would help select the next GM and chief Texan trainer.
Houston hired former Patriots czar Nick Caserio to support the Brinks truck to make him possibly the highest-paid GM in the NFL. Watson was not consulted about the rent.
That’s what triggered Watson and now the Texans are in trouble. Time will tell that Houston can save this thing with the 25-year-old Watson, but switching it, based on the latest information from an insider, has become a distinct possibility, so much so that investors are placing bets.
Is this level of sales success something that Paton would approve of in his first off-season as GM of the Broncos? I have my doubts, mainly because of the king’s rescue that would be needed to get Watson out of Houston’s hands.
Paton can check to see what Houston’s question will be, but suffice it to say that the Broncos would have to be willing not only to absorb Watson’s heavy contract, but also to give up the proverbial farm. Such a move would require saying goodbye to at least two draft choices from the first round, if not three, and perhaps even a couple of seconds.
“You really need to know where you are as a team and that, in turn, determines your aggression,” Paton told the team’s website last week. “But I think you’re involved in all the businesses out there and so you can discuss and collaborate and just determine whether you want to make that leap. It’s very important to be involved in everything so you don’t miss an agreement that can go through you. we will be aggressive – involved – but that doesn’t mean we’re going to jump. ”
Meanwhile, Denver insiders like Woody Paige are reporting that Drew Lock will be the holder of the Broncos again and that John Elway and Vic Fangio are campaigning for Paton to play together. Another year with Lock at the center is the likely end result, but if Paton looks around, looks at the 2021 recruiting class and decides that Lock is the best option, expect the Broncos to hire a more competent and proven veteran to support him. it up.
As far as Watson is concerned, it is a situation to be monitored. But Broncos fans really, and I mean really, shouldn’t be getting their hopes up.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.