Getty Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans.
The New York Giants have been telling us for months that Daniel Jones is their guy. However, the NFL’s current quarterback landscape has led many to take the organization’s word with a grain of salt.
The position is at an all-time level of frenzy. With Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff being dealt before we’ve even reached the conclusion of the 2020 postseason and many others rumored to follow, we could be seeing plenty of old faces in new places come 2021. Carson Wentz trade talks continue to build while Sam Darnold may ultimately find his way out of New York. However, the biggest fish in the sea is clearly disgruntled Houston Texans signal-caller Deshaun Watson.
A 25-year-old phenom, Watson is seemingly fed up with his current situation and has requested a trade out of Texas. Watson’s desired exit has engulfed essentially every team absent of a bonafide franchise quarterback in trade talks to some degree. The Giants are no different.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky recently went as far as to urge GM Dave Gettleman to sell the farm in order to obtain Watson’s services, stating “I would take Daniel Jones, I would take Saquon Barkley and I would take three first-round picks, and I would call Houston and not allow them to get off the phone with me.”
However, Orlovsky’s preferences when it comes to the Giants’ plans under center appear to be nothing short of a pipe dream.
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Giants Out on Deshaun Watson Trade
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan has reported what we have all expected since rumblings of Watson’s preferred exodus of Houston had surfaced — the Giants are not a potential suitor.
“This isn’t just my opinion anymore — this is confirmed,” Raanan said on his podcast, Breaking Big Blue. “The Giants are not going to be in on Deshaun Watson or any other quarterback. Daniel Jones is their guy. Book that.”
Simply put, unless conflicting reports surface down the line, the Watson-Giants trade hypotheticals are dead and no longer in need of discussion.
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Will the Giants Regret Not Throwing Their Hat in the Watson Market?
As for the decision not to pursue Watson, we certainly have our qualms. The G-Men are an organization that has just one winning season to its name over the last eight years. Yes, they have accumulated young talent of late, including quarterback Daniel Jones, who for all his flaws remains a 23-year-old with untapped potential.
Yet, on the other hand, the quarterback position is by far the most important position in sports. This was never more evident than this season with the addition of a 43-year-old Tom Brady to a relatively unchanged Buccaneers roster (aside from a few aging vets out of their prime). With Brady jumping from Foxborough to the Sunshine State, the Bucs captured an 11-5 record in the regular season (only their second winning season over the past decade) and have a chance to take home a Lombardi Trophy this Sunday.
Yes, Brady is the G.O.A.T., and Watson is by no means Brady. Yet, what Watson is, is a 25-year-old superstar yet to hit his prime.
The positives of bowing out of any sort of Watson deal is the fact that the Giants get to retain some serious capital, both draft picks and in-house talent.
Houston Chronicles’ John McClain recently reported that the Texans’ asking price for Watson would consist of two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two young defensive starters, “at the least.”
For now, let’s just put aside the fact that draft picks are arguably the most overvalued asset in football as teams continually latch onto the unknown.
The hope in New York moving forward is that their young players continue to develop and Jones takes a sizeable leap in year three. However, if the former No. 6 overall pick faulters in 2021, the Giants may quickly find themselves back in the quarterback market and asking themselves what could have been.
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