The dust was still far from settling after a Deshaun Watson to the Browns bombshell landed Friday afternoon, but that didn't stop the takes from rolling in.
One of those came from Saints star WR Michael Thomas, who had been actively recruiting the QB to choose New Orleans over the past week of a trade saga that drew the NFL landscape into a frenzied waiting game.
"Don't blame him," Thomas posted to his Twitter account, along with an eye roll, laughing and red face emoji.
There could, of course, be many interpretations of that opinion, though the #whodat hashtag would seem to indicate it wasn't intended as anything negative toward the New Orleans destination that could consider itself among the snubs.
It's also a sentiment that is unlikely to be shared across Saints and Falcons twitter, considering the buildup to what ultimately resulted in a stunning and unexpected decision.
The saga with Watson stretched through the first week of free agency, with the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Browns all meeting with Watson after submitting acceptable trade proposals. Reports indicated that the potential destinations had been narrowed to the Saints and Falcons, and Watson was expected to wait through the weekend before making his final decision. But neither of those ideas ultimately proved true, with Adam Schefter reporting just after 3 p.m. Friday that the Texans QB would waive his no-trade clause and be traded to Cleveland.
Related
It remains unclear exactly what the Browns have given up, but whatever it is will be steep. The Texans' reported asking price was at least three first-round picks, multiple second-round picks and young players. The Browns will now seek to trade former first-round pick Baker Mayfield, who had previously asked for a trade while his team attempted to woo Watson.
The Falcons still have Matt Ryan under contract, but the Saints will likely have to be active to sign or trade for their next starter. Atop that list is likely Jameis Winston, who started 7 games for the Saints in 2021 before a season-ending injury.