On Thursday, Bovada had the San Francisco 49ers with the fifth best chance of winning Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. These chances have not changed. A sportsbook, however, has San Francisco with much better odds. These would be the DraftKings, which have the 49ers with the second best chances of having Watson on the Week 1 list of the 2021 season (h / t until Patrick Tulini)

Below are the teams with the top five chances to acquire Watson, via DraftKings. It is a significant leap from the +1100 odds that San Francisco maintained with sports betting just a few days ago.

  • Texans +200
  • 49ers +400
  • Panthers +450
  • Broncos +500
  • Dolphins / Jets +1000

On Friday, a report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler stated that the 49ers were among the teams on Watson’s list for which he could consider trading. The quarterback has something to say on the matter. His clause prohibiting trading means that he must approve any commercial destination.

“I checked with a source who said that Deshaun Watson has a list of teams that are intriguing him,” said Fowler. “He’s not rating anything, but he has a list. I didn’t get all the teams, but I was told that the Denver Broncos, the San Francisco 49ers are two of them.

“I also asked the source about the Jets and the Dolphins, because they have the largest draft capital this year and the years to come. I was told that the Jets, ‘Eh, probably not.’ Perhaps more Dolphins when it comes to viability. “

A team that Watson doesn’t want to play on is Texans. The quarterback is involved in an impasse with his current team and is ignoring Houston’s attempts to contact him. Still, Texans still have the best chance of having Watson for week 1.

While it is difficult to imagine the Watson-Texans saga ending in any way other than divorce, an unprecedented commercial offer is likely to be needed to acquire the quarterback, and there will be significant competition. That could hurt the 49ers’ chances and, for now, Jimmy Garoppolo should still be considered the favorite to start as a week 1 defender.