Predicting where Jimmy Garoppolo, 5 other quarterbacks play in 2022
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Deshaun Watson is traded to the Giants
One of the players who could have potentially replaced Jimmy Garoppolo heading into 2021 might have been Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, yet his off-field allegations of sexual misconduct put a close to those rumors, and it’s not lost how the 49ers made that aggressive trade-up to No. 3 overall in last year’s NFL Draft after the Watson news broke.
It’s almost a guarantee Watson will never play another down in Houston again after being relegated to a non-injury inactive list all season. And while there’s still a big legal mess to solve off the field, Watson’s player value should still be seen as pretty high.
Early on, the Miami Dolphins might have been viewed as suitors. But with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa playing well as of late, that might no longer be the plan here.
Related Story: Why Jimmy Garoppolo might prefer being cut, not traded
However, the New York Giants are one of those teams in an absolute mess despite last offseason’s valiant attempts to support their embattled quarterback, Daniel Jones, with an array of offensive talent like tight end Kyle Rudolph and wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay.
Jones isn’t it, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the G-Men move on from him, head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman to get out from under what’s been a stretch of five consecutive seasons with no more than six wins.
True, the New York media might tear into Watson for the off-field stuff. But, if the three-time Pro Bowler plays well enough to revitalize the franchise, it’ll surely help ease any tensions there, regardless if that’s OK or not.
And with two first-round picks in the 2022 draft, New York has enough ammunition to make a deal work.