I am totally convinced that the Minnesota Vikings negotiate for the disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback, Deshaun Watson. Quarterbacks of your caliber are rarely available, especially after the first year of a contract extension.
The situation of Watson and the Texans has become increasingly volatile. Texan owners said they would seek their opinion when they hired a new general manager and chief technician, but they did not, leading to Watson’s commercial demand.
With his departure looking imminent, Bill Barnwell of ESPN presented 17 commercial proposals ($) ranked from least to most likely. The tenth trade he listed was a three-way deal between Vikings, Texans and the New England Patriots.
Minnesota would trade the 14th and 90th overall choices in 2021, the first choice in 2022 and the first round in 2023 for Houston, and QB Kirk Cousins for New England.
Houston exchanges his choice of the fourth round of 2023 and Deshaun Watson for the Vikings.
And the Patriots exchange their 2022 choice for the fifth round, 2023 for the fifth round and QB Jarrett Stidham for the Texans.
Sure, some of you see Vikings giving up a lot here, but I don’t think that’s an overpayment.
Last year, Minnesota entered 1-5 farewell week and finished 7-9 largely because injuries were hampering an already inexperienced defense. With the return of players like Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr – in addition to the progression of newcomers from last season, Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney – they can return to being one of the 10 units in the championship.
Although the attack was in the top 5 in yards per game last season, the 1 to 5 start is due to the attack that usually puts its defense in precarious positions. Cousins was atrocious at the start of the season, throwing ten interceptions in the first six games.
Although the maligned QB cleared his game in the second half of the season, this is not the first time that we have seen him go through a crisis. Yes, Cousins is criticized more than he deserves because of his contract, but he can make a costly move two to three times in a game that makes you wonder what he was thinking.
When reports emerged of Watson’s discontent with his current situation, I predicted that the first round’s three choices and compensation would be needed to take over Cousins’ contract to get Watson. I would have been more than happy to give that up to get a franchise player.
When was the last time this franchise had a consistent top 5 QB? Minnesota has not had a long-term solution since the days of Fran Tarkenton. They hired Cousins to fill that role, and although he was durable and provided a sense of stability, he is not among the best players in his position.
Watson would add another dynamic player to the Vikings’ attack, which has game creators at all levels. Cousins fails to extend the game after the pocket collapses; Watson does this with ease. Given the state of the Vikings’ offensive line, it is vital to have a quarterback who can extend the plays by rolling out of pocket, something that Case Keenum did regularly during his 13-3 season in 2017.
With Watson at the center, the Vikings could get rid of Mike Zimmer’s escape scheme. Last weekend it became clear that the teams that made it to the championship games won using the race to create an aggressive passing game. The leader of both games was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who ran 88 yards. The running back leader was Leonard Fournette, who totaled just 55 yards on the ground.
Cousins need to be on a team that is first and operate out of the game to succeed. This driven philosophy drove Stefon Diggs out of town in the off-season and could do the same with Justin Jefferson if the Vikings didn’t fit.
Watson never lost Dalvin Cook’s skill in Houston. He would benefit from having guns like Adam Thielen and Jefferson working outside – a luxury that was taken from him in Houston when they exchanged Deandre Hopkins in the off-season.
This commercial package makes sense for Texans. They would recover the choices they lost in Bill O’Brien’s ill-fated negotiations earlier this year and give new GM Nick Caserio and his new coach some starting capital to work with. It would also prepare them for a complete reconstruction, which would be difficult to justify with Watson at his peak.
And it was clear that the Patriots are still a winning team, despite finishing 7-9. Their special and defense teams are still elite, but the only thing missing this season was a reliable defender. With Cam Newton’s experience looking like it ended up at Foxborough, it makes sense for them to chase a quarterback with a low-floor quarterback with limited roof. Someone like cousins.