All offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles have been linked heavily to a trade involving Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Now, it seems a deal might be close — but maybe not with the Eagles.
According to a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Saturday, there is a belief in league circles that Watson — who has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment — could be traded in the coming days, and the Eagles are not believed to be finalists.
"Multiple executives from teams not directly involved in the discussions tell PFT that there’s mounting chatter that Watson will be traded in the coming days," Florio writes. "The two finalists are believed to be the [Carolina] Panthers and the [Miami] Dolphins. (The Denver Broncos and Eagles also had been linked to Watson.) If it happens, it would turn things upside down for whichever team gets Watson."
Later in the day on Saturday, a report from Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports indicated the Dolphins have emerged as the frontrunners in trade talks with the Texans for Watson. Robinson also reports the Panthers, Broncos and Eagles have been in discussions with Houston, but "Watson’s contractual right to approve the trade destination - which was signed off on by Houston ownership in his last extension - has weighed heavily in trade opportunities."
The Eagles have been interested in Watson, so if this is true, it seems they either are no longer interested or are not willing to give up what the Texans are looking for.
If the Eagles' interest is indeed no longer there, it could be a sign that they have become sold on Jalen Hurts, who has had a strong preseason and has clearly won the No. 1 quarterback job on the team.
Meanwhile, for the other three teams involved, the addition of Watson under center could change the complexion of the team going forward.
For the Dolphins, that would likely mean the end of the Tua Tagovailoa experiment after the team selected the former Alabama quarterback fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. It has been speculated in the past that Tagovailoa would be a part of any deal involving Watson to the Dolphins.
In Carolina, the Panthers brought in quarterback Sam Darnold this past offseason, as he looks to revitalize his career after a rough three seasons with the New York Jets.
Meanwhile, the Broncos just named Teddy Bridgewater their starting quarterback earlier in the week. He won the starting job in Denver after his preseason battle with third-year quarterback Drew Lock. Any trade with the Texans for Watson would likely see one of these two quarterbacks going back the other way.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
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