Texans’ rumored asking price for Deshaun Watson makes trade highly unlikely

The Washington Commanders‘ quarterback search hasn’t officially commenced, but the latest buzz suggests they’re planning on making a “big swing.” That doesn’t exactly qualify as news, per se, but it’s nice to know league insiders are hearing that Washington understands the urgency to find a franchise guy.

Aaron Rodgers is the dream, but he seems more likely to stay in Green Bay or retire than come to Washington.

Russell Wilson, on the other hand, continues to flirt with the idea of requesting a trade out of Seattle. The nine-time Pro Bowler would have a huge market and it’s fair to assume the Commanders would be involved.

As for Derek Carr, his future is still unclear. While he could look to leave the Raiders, their latest hires (Josh McDaniels as head coach, Dave Ziegler as GM and Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator) would be tough to walk away from.

That brings us to Deshaun Watson, the final upper-echelon QB who could be on the move this offseason. The only reason we don’t say he’ll definitely be traded? Well, that would be the Texans’ prodigious asking price.

The Texans’ rumored asking price for Deshaun Watson suggests the Commanders are unlikely to trade for him.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Texans have sought at least five assets, including three first-round picks, in a Watson-centered trade and have zero intentions of amending those demands when trade talks resume.

While previewing the offseason, Ron Rivera revealed his intentions to do due diligence on the Texans’ superstar. Assuming the Commanders head coach followed through on that, he likely realized trading for Watson will be nearly impossible.

Three first-round picks would already be tough to part with, even though it’d be worth it assuming Watson’s legal situation is resolved. But two additional assets? That could be anything from an impact player (like Montez Sweat or Daron Payne) AND maybe a second- or third-round pick to boot.

The Dolphins are the only team that has shown public interest in Watson and they nearly completed a trade for the 25-year-old before the Nov. 2 deadline. Per FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, Miami was willing to trade three first-rounders and two seconds, but required Watson’s lawsuits to be settled.

That obviously never happened and the deal fell apart.

When you couple Houston’s astronomical asking price with the fact that Watson is still facing 22 civil cases of sexual misconduct and sexual assault, it’s hard (nearly impossible) to envision the Commanders pulling the trigger.

That doesn’t even take into account whether Rivera would want a player with a shady background quarterbacking the offense.

With all the controversy surrounding Dan Snyder, it might be best for Washington to hold off on Watson until there’s more clarity on his lawsuits and turn its attention to Rodgers, Wilson and Carr for the time being.