Getty Head coach Pete Carroll's Seahawks have their hands full in the NFC West.
It is appearing unlikely that Deshaun Watson is going to be the next quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. Houston Chronicle’s John McClain reported that Watson has narrowed his potential destinations down to the Panthers and Saints.
Watson is still under contract with the Texans for another four seasons, but the star quarterback has a no-trade clause giving him ultimate control over his next team. McClain noted it appears that Watson does not want to play in the Pacific Northwest.
“Seattle, Philadelphia and Cleveland are also interested in Watson,” McClain wrote on March 14. “Watson may have rejected the Seahawks because he doesn’t want to play in the Pacific Northwest.”
McClain explained that Watson would need to have a “change of heart” to end up on another team outside of New Orleans or Carolina.
“A lot more teams have contacted the Texans about Watson, including Seattle, Cleveland and Philadelphia, but barring a change of heart by the quarterback, he could end up with the Panthers or Saints,” McClain wrote. “ESPN reported Monday that Watson is scheduled to meet with both teams.”
ALL the latest Seahawks news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Seahawks newsletter here!
The Seahawks Do Not Plan to Meet With Watson
Watson met with both the Panthers and Saints, meaning the Texans are one step close to a potential trade, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported that the Seahawks do not have any plans to meet with Watson.
“I was told the Seattle Seahawks do not have any plans to meet with Deshaun Watson as of now,” Russini tweeted on March 14.
The latest reports downplaying the mutual interest between Watson and the Seahawks come after NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah noted that there was a wide “expectation” around the league that Seattle would make a trade with the Texans.
“Well, in talking to friends around the league the expectation from every single one of them is that when it’s all said and done, Deshaun Watson is going to be the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks,” Jeremiah noted during the March 10 edition of the “Move the Sticks” podcast. “That’s just the expectation. Now look, there are obviously the legal hurdles that exist and that’s on its own timeline, so that would have to be resolved.”
NFL Insider on Seahawks Acquiring Watson: ‘I Would Be Surprised’
Despite initial rumblings to the contrary, the early signs of free agency point to the Seahawks looking to build around a young quarterback. Heavy.com’s NFL insider Randy Mueller does not see the Seahawks being a serious contender for Watson.
“I would be surprised, one, because the assets they acquired from Russ [Russell Wilson trade] they can use to kind of retool their whole roster and they need more than a quarterback,” the former Seahawks executive noted on March 14. “Two, I don’t know that they’re jumping up and down to commit another $35 or $40 million to any one player. And the third thing is I just think every environment that considers Deshaun Watson and hey let’s face it, the baggage that comes with it now.
“It has to be, it’s a decision made above the football people. It’s an ownership decision. It’s a perception in the community decision, and I’ve lived in Seattle a long time. I don’t know that Seattle is going to be that welcoming of all that baggage where other cities might.”