Philadelphia Eagles: The Deshaun Watson situation is thankfully over
To some, Deshaun Watson has been a white whale target for the Philadelphia Eagles.
An objectively elite NFL quarterback who can make any throw, pick up yards with his legs, and run the show better than most, Watson is the kind of player who can keep a bad team competitive and could – at least in theory- make a good team into a legitimate championship contender, even if Bill O’Brian seldom afforded him that opportunity in Houston.
In a way, Watson is sort of like the NFL’s version of Damian Lillard, in that many teams are vying to trade for his services but doing so would effectively tank his current franchise’s prospects indefinitely.
If you’re still somehow hoping that Howie Roseman has a plan to land the former Clemson quarterback, even after he just traded for Gardner Minshew, then I, unfortunately, have some bad news for you: Deshaun Watson doesn’t want to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and frankly, that is fantastic news.
The Philadelphia Eagles can finally focus their attention on their own QBs.
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In the NFL, no-trade clauses – even modified ones – are rare.
Sure, you’ll get the occasional player who earns supreme say over where they end up if a franchise opts to move on, even if it’s not as formal as their counterparts over in the NHL, but for the most part, such a distinction is typically reserved for superstar quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and other marquee stars of that caliber.
Deshaun Watson is one of those players.
Assuming the general manager for, say, the Dallas Cowboys offered Dak Prescott, and 10 first-round picks for Watson’s services, all the best quarterback in the state of Texas would have to do is give the thumbs down Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator-style and just like that, all of Jerry Jones’ work would be for not.
Why, you may ask, is this relevant? Well, because Watson has reportedly made it known that Philly is not where he wants to be either in 2021 or moving forward.
Now granted, one can argue about the morality of any team wanting to trade for Watson, considering his current outstanding legal situation. I’ve personally been very reticent to cover the topic for that very reason, as the general discourse around said hypothetical trade can get downright nasty. But, in the true spirit of “no one likes us, we don’t care,” maybe Watson’s own rejection of your fair city can be a unifying force that pushes both parties together around Jalen Hurts moving forward… at least until he has a bad showing and the tribalism of Philly sports rears its ugly head again and splits off into two camps ‘Survivor’-style.
With Gardner Minshew now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, I think we collectively have enough quarterback energy to worry about in the City of Brotherly Love without investing unnecessary energy on a player who doesn’t want to be here.
Next. Gardner Minshew Mania is coming to South Philly. dark
In the NFL, quarterbacks are held to a pretty unique standard. They have to be leaders, role models, spokesmen, and approachable underdogs capable of putting a city on their back. While I’m sure there are scores of quarterbacks throughout NFL history who hate their team, coaches, or even fanbases – and I would imagine the number is bigger than we would assume – finding one who loves their adoptive home is incredibly laudable. Jalen Hurts appears to love being a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, and between you and me, I kind of want to give him the season to see if he can be the guy without constantly pitting him against challengers both real and imaginary.