Washington Football Team: What a Deshaun Watson trade package could look like

Should the Washington Football Team pay this price to land Watson?

So to recap, the trade package would look something like this:

You can feel free to make any changes to this baseline package. Swap in Allen for Payne, Fuller for Curl, or have the Texans add a player like Brandin Cooks to the deal to help them further open up some salary-cap space. But as it stands, this would be the basic framework of the deal.

Now, the big question becomes, should Washington pay this price to land a quarterback like Watson? In a league where quarterbacks are super important and don’t grow on trees, the answer would probably be yes.

Losing the defensive starters would be difficult, especially with no chances to replace them with top-64 picks in the next two drafts. However, Washington has shown an ability to find gems in the later rounds in recent years, and they already have the depth on the defensive line needed to replace Payne. They would still have a chance to build a contender around Watson and bolster their weaknesses on defense.

Is this the best option for the team? Talent-wise, yes. Cost-wise, however, it might not be.

The other important part of this equation: Would Washington make this trade? That seems far less likely given their confirmation that they’re taking a measured approach at the QB spot. They could opt to go the super cheap route at QB next year with Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke while continuing to bolster the defense. Or they could simply trade up to draft their quarterback of the future.

The latter move would require less than it would take to get Watson. That may be more palatable for Washington if they don’t want to weaken their defense that much.

Until Watson’s situation reaches its inevitable conclusion and until Washington settles on a quarterback, there will be speculation abound for both sides. For the time being, all we can say is this. Washington has the assets to make a move for Watson. And they should contemplate one.

But will they do it? We’ll have to wait and see.