Report: Deshaun Watson “just wants out” of Houston

On Saturday, Sports Illustrated published an eye-popping article that, if you haven’t read it, does not speak highly of those in charge of the Texans organization. We’re not here to talk about the Texans' ownership. We’re here to talk about Deshaun Watson, whose teammates are on board with doing “what’s best for himself,” per the SI article.

The four words that matter the most from that article were when a source said, “he just wants out.” That’s not the first time we’ve heard whispers of Watson wanting out of Houston. Earlier this month, Pro Football Talk reported that “Watson has quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade.”

Before the Packers and Rams game kicked off on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said that “Watson is one unhappy camper and has no plans of being with the Texans anytime soon, if ever.” Chris Mortensen added, “unless Cal McNair can fire himself, Watson wants nothing to do with the Texans.”

We should acknowledge the type of player we’re talking about before we get into if Watson is worth it. I can put together a strong argument that Watson was one of the two best quarterbacks this season in the NFL.

I’m not talking about whether Watson threw for the most passing yards, which he did. I’m not talking about if Watson had the highest yards per attempt in the NFL, something he also did. While we’re doing this, Sports Info Solutions had Watson with the highest “total points earned” among all quarterbacks in the NFL this season with 172.

Watson didn’t have a No. 1 target. He didn’t have the same line that Green Bay had, or a running game to fall back on or even a QB-friendly offense. Watson did the majority of his work by himself this season, and it was nothing short of incredible. The Texans had no business winning four games this season or being as competitive as they were.

I’ve seen people talk about Watson, and it’s painfully obvious that they didn’t watch him play. He’s a superstar. Someone pointed out that Watson has an injury history. Watson has missed one game in the past three seasons. When you think of Watson, you don’t go, “man, I sure hope he can stay healthy this season.”

The question always comes back to if you’re willing to part with several draft picks and a player. Based on all of the talking heads, the conversation starts with three first-round picks. Watson threw for nearly 5,000 yards in a season where they just traded his top target. We are talking about a quarterback who is on a trajectory to make the Hall of Fame. That’s in a dysfunctional organization.

If we give “good” players the Kyle Shanahan bump, then what’s Watson’s bump? He’s worth three first-rounders. With Deshaun on the 49ers roster, that pick is in the mid-20s for as long as he’s on the roster. Watson is that good of a quarterback, and we should not lose sight of that. I’m not sure what the right package is, but if Watson wants out, I’m not sure there’s an offer that’s “too much” for a top-10 player in the NFL.