Getty Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans
Does Deshaun Watson want out of Houston — and if so, could the Chicago Bears correct an all-time wrong and bring him to the Windy City? In the hottest NFL rumor to fly around the league this week, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote that multiple sources have told him the Texans quarterback has spoken to his teammates about the idea of playing elsewhere in 2021.
“Rumors already are circulating, and we’ve already heard them from multiple different people, that Watson has quietly broached with teammates about the possibility of requesting a trade,” Florio wrote Thursday, adding: “If that’s happening, it may just be a strategic effort to ensure his views are respected by ownership. Regardless, it raises the stakes and crosses a bridge and potentially sets the foundation for Watson eventually to decide that he’d like to continue his career elsewhere.”
Could elsewhere include Chicago? The Bears, of course, notoriously passed over both Watson and Patrick Mahomes in favor of Mitch Trubisky, a move they may never live down — unless, of course, they trade the farm or half of their defensive All-Pros in exchange for Watson’s talents.
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Bears Twitter Loses It’s Mind Upon Hearing Florio’s Report
In his article, Florio listed the Bears as one of many teams who would be likely potential suitors if there’s truth to the rumors Watson wants out:
It’s too early to think about where he’d potentially be traded. It’s not too early to make a list of teams that would possibly clamor to get him. The Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Raiders, Broncos, Washington, Eagles, Bears, Lions, Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers (if Tom Brady is one and done), and 49ers are the most obvious … As the Texans decide on their next coach … keep an eye on the possibility that Watson will respond by making it known privately, and possibly publicly, that he’s ready to move on and move out.
Naturally, when hearing Watson may want out of Houston (and who could blame him, with the team’s current tenuous situations in coaching and upper management), Bears fans and analysts alike went bonkers at the possibilities:
The Bears should do whatever it takes to get Deshaun Watson.
I would even put ketchup on a hot dog.
Trade package for Deshaun Watson
The Hancock building
The Bean
Virginia McCaskey
Khalil Mack
Portillo’s
Do it. Get it done. Don’t care. Do it. #DaBears
Me: The Bears have given away too many recent picks to trade up for a QB.
Also me: I would give away 15 first rounders for Deshaun Watson.
As a Bears fan, yes you should be in on the idea of getting Deshaun Watson just like Ryan Pace should have been 4 years ago at this time.
I would trade 4 or maybe even 5 first round picks for Deshaun Watson if I was the Chicago Bears.
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Chiefs All-Pro Corner Names Bears as Team Who Should Pursue Watson
Current Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who played with Watson in Houston in 2018, also got into the act, Tweeting that if he were the Bears, he’d be all in on Watson:
If I’m Saints , 49ers or even Chicago…… I’m all in on this Watson news….
So what would it take for the Bears to land the talented 25-year-old? Analyst Benjamin Allbright brought a splash of reality to the topic when he shared the following Tweet:
Texans aren’t trading Watson, nor has that been discussed. I asked for a hypothetical offer that might move him last night.
“Three 1sts, three 2nds and a player might start the conversation”
So — multiple first and second rounders, in addition to a star player? As outlandish as it seems, Watson is a proven commodity, and stranger things have happened. If Ryan Pace sticks around another year, he also has an established history of trading the farm for players (he did it when he drafted Trubisky, and again a year later when he acquired Khalil Mack). Also, the Texans may be more open to dealing Watson than some think, simply because of what they may be able to get for him:
Thinking about Watson.
If the Texans made him available via trade he would bring in the largest haul in NFL trade history. The conversation starts at three first-round picks, doesn’t it?
With their current cap nightmares and no picks, I could see them thinking about it.
The Bears have some attractive trade chips of their own on defense (Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson, Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson come to mind), and if Houston were interested, the Bears would have more than a few players to offer in addition to a load of picks.
While this still remains a pipe dream, for a franchise that has been starved at the quarterback position for decades, it’s certainly fun to think about — and it makes seven-year old Tweets like this one worth digging out again:
I like this Chicago weather.
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Deshaun Watson’s Ex-Teammate Urges Bears to Go ‘All In’