NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints will meet with Texans QB Deshaun Watson in the next 48 hours, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Schefter said in a tweet that Watson wants to meet with them just as they want to meet with him before trade talks ramp up.
On Sunday NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Saints had offered a trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Rapoport also reports that division rival Carolina is also pursuing the Texans signal-caller.
Watson has been with the Texans since 2017 but sat out the 2021 season after accusations of sexual harassment arose in March 2021. Despite being cleared of criminal indictment on Friday, Watson does still faces 22 civil lawsuits stemming from the allegations.
Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning he would have to approve of any trade involving him.
Trading for Watson would seemingly require a massive bounty to the Texans in return. The team has asked for no less than three first-round draft picks, among other high-value assets.
Watson has had an extremely productive NFL career when active. While his record of 28-25 is pedestrian, his stats have illustrated his success. Watson has thrown for 104 touchdown passes, opposite only 36 interceptions. He's also rushed for 17 touchdowns while rushing for over 1,600 yards in his career.
Watson also currently holds an astonishing 15 NFL records by himself, while being tied for four more. He also holds 10 Texans franchise records.
Simply put, there is no questioning Watson's talent. The issue for the Saints- or any team pursuing Watson, for that matter- would be the handling of the off-the-field baggage that he brings. Acquiring Watson would almost certainly cause a media frenzy given the nature of the accusations levied against him.
While it would undoubtedly be a tense situation, the Saints nonetheless seem poised to at least test the waters of potentially bringing him in.