With Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers off the board in the blink of an eye, the Washington Commanders are running out of trade options at quarterback.
Among the top tier at the position, all that remains is Deshaun Watson, and all the legal baggage he could bring.
A grand jury in Texas will hear Watson's case on Friday and decide whether to pursue criminal charges. If Watson is cleared, that still leaves 22 civil suits against him, but many believe the potential for criminal charges is the only hurdle stopping other teams from pursuing the Houston quarterback.
That wouldn't be the only bar Washington requires clearing, according to Albert Breer, who writes in his latest mailbag session for SI that the Commanders are "very serious" about trading for a quarterback, as evidenced by their offer for Russell Wilson (three first-round picks) and what they would have given up for Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford.
"My understanding is they won't make a move on Deshaun Watson unless there's full settlement of his legal situation, in large part because of what's engulfed the team since the summer of 2020," Breer writes of the Commanders. "That could wind up landing them on the outside looking in, since there's at least a chance that another team will see resolution of the criminal charges as enough to deal off a king's ransom to get him."
Longtime NFL scribe Aaron Wilson reports for Pro Football Network that Washington, Carolina, and now without Wilson, Seattle, are all interested in Watson. That creates sizable competition that, outside of Washington, could be ready to pounce if the quarterback's cleared of criminal charges.
"The Washington Commanders have also had interest in Watson this offseason," writes Wilson. "The organization was researching his legal situation and reviewing his games, according to sources."
The Seahawks now have significant trade capital to offer after acquiring two first-round picks and a second-rounder from the Broncos. If they're serious about trading for Watson, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which Washington could truly compete with them. Certainly even less so if the Commanders are waiting for all of Watson's legal issues to be resolved, while others aren't.
Should Washington miss out on Watson, there's also this from Breer: "I said at the start of the offseason that the Commanders or Panthers made sense for [Jimmy] Garoppolo. I’ll stand by that, given where those two are at the position."
