Could SF 49ers purge Deshaun Watson, other Texans in 2021?

The Texans are going through tumult after a pitiful 2020, and the SF 49ers could feasibly benefit. But is landing Deshaun Watson realistic?

Could Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson find himself a member of the SF 49ers at some point in the somewhat near future?

The answer is, of course, yes. It could happen.

Will it happen, though, is another question altogether.

An aggregation of a number of different reports, factors and rumors lead to the possibility the former Clemson star and one of the best young quarterbacks in the game could be part of a number of Texans players hoping for a change of scenery.

Some read into this when All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt apologized to Watson at the end of the season, saying “I’m sorry, we wasted one of your years.”

Perhaps it was merely that: an apology after Houston finished 4-12 and fired their head coach/general manager, Bill O’Brien, earlier in the season. Or, possibly, players like Watt could be frustrated with what looks to be another rebuild under a new regime.

Then, last week, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Watson “has quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade.”

Florio listed San Francisco as a potential landing spot.

Oh.

Florio also speculated this could be a push by Watson to ensure he has a prominent role in the team’s direction, which will now be under newly minted general manager Nick Caserio. While the Texans are still seeking a new head coach, potentially SF 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh who started his NFL coaching career in Houston, whoever gets the job will at least be in a position to work with one of the more talented youthful signal-callers in the NFL.

That is, of course, if Watson is the player Caserio and a new head coach want to build around.

How the SF 49ers fit into a question-filled Texans offseason

There’s also this to consider from NFL insider Benjamin Allbright:

While Watson, and other players for that matter, could force leverage by requesting a trade (not unlike what left tackle Trent Williams did with the Washington Football Team in 2019 and early in 2020), the simple fact is the Texans wouldn’t give up on their top asset without a massive return.

Other players, such as the oft-injured Watt, could be part of the situation. Considering the Texans are lacking first- and second-round picks in this year’s NFL Draft, there’s a good chance Caserio would be looking to move assets to bidding teams to stockpile picks in the much-needed attempt to rebuild an underachieving franchise.

Watson probably isn’t going to be part of that discussion, as he’s the piece to build around. Yet he and other players, particularly veterans, may not want to hang around another two-plus years amid what’s looking like a rebuild situation.

The SF 49ers, meanwhile, have their own draft picks in Rounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 along with two other day-three picks. Should Saleh be hired as a head coach this offseason, a new league rule would give them two additional third-round compensatory selections in Round 3, one in 2021 and another in 2022.

Maybe that’s enough to proverbially “get the discussions going.”

But with roughly $22 million in available cap space, a questionable situation with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and nearly 40 pending free agents set to hit the open market, San Francisco simply might look at Watson as a player too lofty to go after.

Other players, perhaps someone like Watt or safety Justin Reid, make a bit more sense and could likely be had at significantly less in terms of draft compensation.

Either way, the SF 49ers’ situation will be the usual: monitoring the developments and seeing what the market could dictate. It’s not unlike what they did with Williams last offseason, although Watson is slightly more interesting a commodity.

Both parties know that all too well.