What this attention means to the opposite wide receiver, the leverage the offensive line can get on the linebackers in the run game, and how it helps the quarterback are all important.
When asked what he’d think if his best receiver was traded like this, Warner said he’d be angry and confused.
“Especially when you’re looking at that team, a playoff team, a team that you feel like just needs a few more pieces to build this thing and there’s a chance to compete for a championship,” Warner said. “Then you give away the best player in a trade like this. I’m kind of dumbfounded if I’m a Deshaun Watson, feeling like hey we’re on the right track and now all of a sudden that one move changes everything. And the other part of it is that he’s just a proven commodity. He’s a got that’s been at the top of his game. He’s a young guy. He’s got a long way to go. … A guy that you can count on like that, you know that’s going to be there and can make the game easier for a young quarterback.
“That’s exactly why Arizona did it. That’s exactly why they made the move to get that guy for their young quarterback. If I'm Deshaun Watson, I'm a little bit distraught right now to make sense of why this move was made.”