(SportsRadio 610) - The offseason quarterback dominoes started falling Tuesday with Aaron Rodgers signing a massive extension with the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos trading for Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
The moves seem to solidify the Packers' likely place atop the NFC North, and suddenly makes the Broncos contenders in a busy AFC West.
But the next logical question for Texans fans is how it all impacts the Deshaun Watson trade market. Watson sat out last season amidst a trade request and pending legal issues related to sexual misconduct allegations.
There are 22 women suing Watson in Harris County and the district attorney's office is also considering charges in a few of the cases. The legal entanglements are believed to have prevented the Texans from already dealing their estranged franchise quarterback, who has a no-trade clause as part of the four-year, $156 million contract extension he signed before the 2020 season.
Among his desired destinations was Denver, which is now eliminated from the potential landing spots.
Denver was always in the market for a quarterback, reportedly interested in Rodgers and Watson before ultimately making the deal for Wilson.
With the Broncos off the list, it leaves the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders as teams known to be interested. New York Giants CEO John Mara and Miami Dolphins general manager Stephen Ross have publicly said they are not trading for Watson, though that could change with resolutions to the legal matters.
Those are the moments everyone is waiting for: finding out by April 1 (a deadline mentioned by Watson's attorney Rusty Hardin) whether Watson is charged with a crime; if they can settle cases by the NFL Draft on April 28; and if not, how long it might take.
It is possible the list of teams interested in Watson grows once all of this is resolved.
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A Watson trade would create $24.2 million in cap space, while adding $16.2 million in dead money. It would also yield multiple first-round draft picks to help accelerate the Texans' rebuild.
Check out what the Broncos gave up for Wilson, and consider that Watson is seven years younger.
All that's happened is one team is eliminated from the Watson sweepstakes. There is still reason to be skeptical of the Giants' and Dolphins' intentions, especially if the legal cases are resolved.
The Panthers, Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings are all among teams who could still be looking to upgrade at quarterback.
Our very own John McClain also says Seattle, with picks received from this Wilson trade to Denver, should make a run at Watson.
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