Bill Barnwell has a business proposal to put Watson in purple



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I totally agree with the idea that the Minnesota Vikings are negotiating for disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Quarterbacks of his caliber rarely become available, especially after the first year of a contract extension.

The situation for Watson and the Texans has become increasingly volatile. Texans owners said they would seek his advice when they hire a new general manager and head coach and didn’t, which led to Watson’s business demand.

With his departure appearing imminent, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell came up with 17 business proposals ($) ranked from least to most likely. The tenth trade he listed was a three-way deal between the Vikings, Texans, and New England Patriots.

Minnesota would trade the 14th and 90th overall picks in 2021, their 2022 first-round pick and 2023 first-round pick to Houston and quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​to New England.
Houston trades its 2023 fourth-round pick and Deshaun Watson to the Vikings.
And the Patriots trade their 2022 fifth-round pick, 2023 fifth-round pick and quarterback Jarrett Stidham to the Texans.
Sure some of you see the Vikings giving up too much here, but I don’t think that’s a massive overpayment.

Last year, Minnesota entered the 1-5 off week and finished 7-9 largely because injuries hampered an already inexperienced defense. With the return of players like Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr – as well as the progression of last season’s rookie corners Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney – they could once again become a top 10 unit in the league.

Although the offense finished in the top 5 in yards per game last season, the 1-5 start is due to the offense often putting their defense in precarious positions. Cousins ​​was atrocious early in the season, throwing ten interceptions in the first six games.

While the maligned quarterback cleaned up his game in the second half of the season, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen him go through a slump. Yes, Cousins ​​gets criticized more than he deserves because of his contract, but he’s likely to make an expensive game two to three times a game that makes you wonder what he was thinking.

When reports of Watson’s dissatisfaction with his current situation surfaced, I predicted it would take all three first-round picks and compensation to accept Cousins’ contract to land Watson. I would have been more than happy to give that up to land a franchise player.

When was the last time this franchise had a consistent QB in the top 5? Minnesota hasn’t had a long-term solution since the days of Fran Tarkenton. They signed with Cousins ​​to fill the role, and while it was lasting and gave him a sense of stability, he is not among the best players in his role.

Watson would add another dynamic player to the Vikings’ offense who has playmakers at all levels. Cousins ​​cannot extend the game once the pocket has collapsed; Watson does it easily. Considering the state of the Vikings’ offensive line, it’s essential to have a quarterback who can extend games out of pocket, something Case Keenum did consistently in their 13-3 season in 2017. .

With Watson under center, the Vikings could exit Mike Zimmer’s starting plan. Last weekend it was clear that the teams that had reached the championship games had won by using the run to organize an aggressive passing game. The top runner of both games was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who ran for 88 yards. The leading running back was Leonard Fournette, who totaled just 55 rushing yards.

Cousins ​​must be part of a team that comes first and operate out of play to be successful. This starting philosophy drove Stefon Diggs out of town during the offseason and could do the same with Justin Jefferson if the Vikings don’t adjust.

Watson never had a running back in the capacity of Dalvin Cook in Houston. He would benefit from having guns like Adam Thielen and Jefferson working away – a luxury that was taken from him in Houston when they traded Deandre Hopkins during the offseason.

This trade package makes sense to Texans. They would recoup the picks they lost in Bill O’Brien’s ill-fated trades earlier in the year and give new general manager Nick Caserio and their new coach draft capital to work with. It would also prepare them for a full rebuild, which would be hard to justify with Watson in his prime.

And it became clear that the Patriots are still a winning team — now despite going 7-9. Their special teams and defense are still elite, but the only thing they lacked this season was a reliable quarterback. With Cam Newton’s experiment appearing to be over at Foxborough, it makes sense for them to pursue a quarterback with a low-floor, limited-cap quarterback. Someone like Cousins.

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