John McClain has been covering the NFL in Houston since the Oilers were there, and he’s not someone who joins in throwing things out there to see if he catches on.
In other words, when McClain starts talking about Deshaun Watson being traded, it’s time to pay attention. And now McClain is talking about Deshaun Watson being traded.
McClain’s column is read in a way that looks terribly as if it had been provided directly from the Texans’ front office. They don’t want to negotiate Watson, but if the quarterback makes it clear that he no intention to dress for Houston again, the team may not have a choice.
Seriously, when was the last time you saw a piece of trade speculation as detailed as this?
The Jets could start with [Sam] Darnold, his choices in the first round this year (second and 23rd overall) and his choices in the first and second rounds in 2022. That would be three one, one two, Darnold and maybe the defensive side Quinnen Williams.
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It is not the first time that Williams’ name appears in commercial rumors, to the point that he go out publicly and said he would be disappointed to be traded and wants to play his entire career in New York. Still, the nature of the report – Darnold, very specific choices and “maybe” Williams – is a level of proposal that is usually discussed on a message board or on a radio caller, not on a sober columnist who presents a similar scenario for dolphins.
The way to translate this is that, most likely, McClain has received a word from within the Texans organization about what they will be looking for when they begin to actively seek to negotiate with Watson, if they are not already.
This is not a matter of taking any chances. When McClain writes that it is time for the Texans to hear Watson’s offers, it means that it is time for us to really start giving credit to the notion that Watson will actually be traded.