NY Jets, not SF 49ers are favorites to trade for Texans’ Deshaun Watson
By Peter Panacy
It looks like the SF 49ers aren’t the betting-odds favorites to land Texans QB Deshaun Watson in 2021. Those odds go to the NY Jets.
It’s no secret quarterback Deshaun Watson wants out from the Houston Texans organization. And it’s no secret a number of other teams around the league would trip over themselves in order to land him via an offseason trade.
After that, it’s all pure speculation.
The SF 49ers are no strangers to that speculation. While head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have made verbal commitments to their current starter under center, Jimmy Garoppolo, the thoughts surrounding a would-be upgrade at the position with Watson sure is enticing even if it would cost the Niners significantly in a blockbuster trade with Houston.
What are the odds of that happening?
According to The Action Network, San Francisco isn’t favorited to land Watson in an offseason trade. The SF 49ers aren’t even in the top three teams with best odds.
No, The Action Network lists the NY Jets as the favorites to trade for Watson:
- NY Jets (+400)
- Miami Dolphins (+400)
- Chicago Bears (+800)
- New England Patriots (+1000)
- Denver Broncos (+1000)
- Washington Football Team (+1000)
- SF 49ers (+2000)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+2000)
- Carolina Panthers (+2000)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+2500)
The Jets do present a unique opportunity. No longer possessing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which will assuredly be used by the Jaguars on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (so, why is Jacksonville listed at No. 10 with plus-2500 odds?), Gang Green could opt to use that pick as a marquee chip to send off to Houston in a trade deal.
Such a trade will cost multiple first-round selections. But New York already has two of those this year, including No. 23 overall from the Seattle Seahawks, to kick off a total of 10 selections this April.
There’s also newfound hope with the Jets after hiring former SF 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as head coach, meaning the optimism among their fanbase would only increase by landing a true centerpiece like Watson.
That optimism and perhaps the odds, too, were also likely influenced by Watson’s agent fueling rumors his client could end up in New York sooner than later.
Provocative.
For San Francisco, it’s in a position where Shanahan and Co. don’t necessarily need to upgrade at quarterback this offseason over Garoppolo. Should a reasonable scenario wind up on the table, it’s hard not to envision Shanahan and Lynch entertaining the idea. But the moment it gets a little too expensive for the SF 49ers’ comfort range, one can all but eliminate the Niners, who own the No. 12 overall pick in the draft and just one first-round selection this year, from the Watson sweepstakes.
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It seems as if the oddsmakers would agree that’s a strong likelihood.