Deshaun Watson next team odds: New York Giants will not be trading for Texans quarterback
Deshaun Watson is expected to be traded this offseason. It just won't be to the New York Giants.
No one on the planet would argue against the fact that Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is vastly better than the New York Giants' Daniel Jones. Watson is going to be traded this offseason by Houston after sitting out the 2021 campaign because of his off-the-field issues. But in part because of those problems, Giants co-owner John Mara today said definitively that his team would not be trading for Watson despite the obvious upgrade.
When asked by the media about a possible trade – New York does have the No. 5 and No. 7 overall picks in this year's draft as part of a potential package – Mara said: "We're not trading for Deshaun Watson. … There are so many reasons why we wouldn't do that. Salary cap-wise, we couldn't afford it. But more importantly with the allegations that are out there right now, that's just not the right fit for us."
The Giants never were considered a major contender to deal for Watson, who has a no-trade clause, because they always have been a rather conservative organization. What's interesting is that Watson reportedly wanted to play in Miami for former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who also wanted to trade for Watson. Flores will interview for the Giants' coaching job Thursday, although the favorite to get it is Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll considering New York hired former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their new GM.
Per the Rooney Rule, NFL teams must interview at least two external minority candidates for head coaching jobs and the Giants haven't done that yet – only Buffalo's Leslie Frazier, but Flores will be the second -- so they won't be hiring Daboll or anyone before Thursday.
Ownership already has been on the record that Jones will be back next season, but they also said Coach Joe Judge would be back and changed their minds a few weeks later. Mara doubled down today on Jones: "We do feel Daniel can play. We've done everything possible to screw this kid up."
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, was limited to 11 games in 2021 due to injury and completed a career-high 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,428 yards, 10 TDs and seven picks – good for a rating of 84.8 that was better than 2020 (80.4) but worse than Jones' rookie season (87.7). By ESPN's QBR, it was Jones' worst season.
Here are the Giants' 2022 opponents:
Home -- Cowboys, Washington, Eagles, Bears, Lions, Texans, Colts, Panthers and Ravens
Away -- Cowboys, Washington, Eagles, Packers, Jaguars, Vikings, Titans and Seahawks
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which roster will Deshaun Watson be on Week 1 of the 2022 season (if not Houston)?
- Dolphins +250
- Panthers +300
- Eagles +400
- Broncos +500
- Vikings +600
- Washington +700
- Steelers +1000
- Saints +1500
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