The sales success of Matthew Stafford who sent the 12-year-old veteran to the Los Angeles Rams is unlikely to be the biggest deal involving a quarterback this season. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson wants to leave, and his market is likely to be robust enough that Texans cannot afford to play the waiting game with him.
In the case of Watson being traded, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle offered an image of what it may take to keep the three-time Pro Bowler from the Texans. He noted that the agreement between Lions and Rams will not play a role in defining the market for Watson, but the two choices from the first round, a choice from the third round and the starting quarterback who placed Stafford in Los Angeles do not reach McClain’s predictions in a Watson offer:
Two choices in the first round, two choices in the second round and a pair of young defensive beginners is a high price for any player. Some teams argue that no price is too high for a 24-year-old franchise defender.
One of the possible obstacles that San Francisco would have to overcome to acquire Watson is just the number of assets it could require. They have their own choices in the first shift to work and their own choices in the second shift, so recruiting compensation would not be difficult.
Where things can get potentially interesting and sticky for San Francisco are the players that Texans may want in return.
The 49ers have several young players that a team can covet in an exchange, but given the nature of the situation with a QB franchise on the other side of the deal, the Texans’ starting point for negotiations would likely start with Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
It is hard to imagine that San Francisco would deal with the defensive pillars of its franchise along with all the choices. A quarterback is important, but negotiating with Bosa and Warner would effectively be a sign of a complete reconstruction for a defense that San Francisco has spent three years assembling. Watson is great and the defender is the most important position on the field, but blowing up the base of the defense that led a race in the Super Bowl just a season ago seems drastic.
The 49ers may be willing to negotiate one of these two players and some choices for Houston, but handing out several revolutionary All-Pro players from an already formidable front of seven is the antithesis of everything General Manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have. done from the point of view of team building in the last four years.
It is true that the whole nature of this business goes against Lynch and Shanahan’s previous seasons. They have shown a willingness to change draft options when it comes to relatively low cost. His negotiations never involved first-round choices, except for his negotiation in the 2020 draft from Nº 31 to Nº 25.
If San Francisco decides to enter these waters, they may end up moving DL Javon Kinlaw and LB Dre Greenlaw, for example. Two young defensive beginners with the qualities to become good faith stars in the NFL. They are also the type of player that 49ers could replace more easily than Bosa and Warner. Kinlaw was the No. 14 overall choice, but tracking defensive tackles of initial caliber is easier than tracking game-destroying rushers.
Arik Armstead is another player that Houston may want to face. He has a very considerable contract, but a versatile defensive striker who can stay on the pitch and be effective for three defeats can be attractive to a young defender in recovery.
Any move that 49ers make in Watson’s draws will be outside their comfort zone and, to conclude a deal of this magnitude, will hurt San Francisco a little. They won’t be able to escape with a bargain, even in the universe where Watson is actively forcing his way into the Bay Area.