There has been plenty of trade speculation this offseason.
Rumors of the Vikings trading Kirk Cousins to the 49ers have been dispelled, but that hasn’t stopped fans from considering the possibility of a Cousins trade.
There’s also Deshaun Watson. ESPN’s Sarah Barshop reported that the Texans had internal conversations about possible trade partners for Deshaun Watson and what their quarterback position would look like in the future.
MMQB’s Peter King found a way to combine both the Vikings-49ers trade and the Watson sweepstakes. King suggested a trade Minnesota could make that would involve the team landing the current Texans QB. Here’s what he wrote:
“The Vikings send quarterback Kirk Cousins to San Francisco. The Niners send Garoppolo to Houston, if, of course, he’d waive his no-trade. The Texans send Watson to Minnesota. In return: the Niners send their first-round pick in 2021 (12th overall) to Houston, and they’re out. (So San Francisco would be trading Garoppolo and a one to Houston and getting Cousins with two years left on his contract.) The Vikings would send linebacker Anthony Barr and running back Alexander Mattison plus their first-round picks in 2021 (14th overall) and 2023, and second-round picks in 2022 and 2023 in exchange for Watson. Houston’s haul: Garoppolo, two ones this year, a one in 2023, and two second-round picks.”
Barr is a lot to lose on defense. Throw in Mattison, and multiple high picks and the Vikings are giving up a significant haul in this hypothetical trade. That said, I think Watson is worth it. Pairing the Texans quarterback with a decent defense and high-octane offense could be the extra edge Minnesota needs. Of course, the defense will have to become decent first. Personally, I think Watson is one of the handful of quarterbacks in the NFL who’s worth this trade haul.
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