What would a trade package for Deshaun Watson look like for the Atlanta Falcons?
The Atlanta Falcons have made two of the biggest decisions for this 2021 offseason in the hiring of Terry Fontenot as the GM and Arthur Smith as the new head coach.
Now, with a new regime in place, the Atlanta Falcons have to move forward and put themselves in the best position possible to succeed.
One rumor that continues to float out there is the potential of a blockbuster trade that lands Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson.
According to BetOnline.ag, the Falcons have the third-highest chance of any team in the league to land Watson in a trade. Atlanta is listed at +700 odds just behind the Carolina Panthers (+600) and the Miami Dolphins (+650).
What will be Deshaun Watson’s next team?
— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) January 19, 2021
Carolina Panther +600
Miami Dolphins +650
Atlanta Falcons +700
New York Jets +750
Denver Broncos +800
Las Vegas Raiders +800
New Orleans Saints +800
Chicago Bears +900
New England Patriots +900
San Fransisco 49ers +1000 pic.twitter.com/FTaPW8ToW4
The problem, though, is legitimate trade possibilities.
The Falcons don’t have much cap space and would absolutely have to ‘off’ some money in order to make a trade of that magnitude happen.
It’s like they say, though: ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’
The next problem is that there are going to be a lot of teams vying for a Watson trade if he does come available.
Texans have had internal conversations about possible trade partners for Deshaun Watson and what their quarterback position would look like in the future without him, per ESPN’s @sarahbarshop.https://t.co/X7ppAn9OcL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 17, 2021
The Falcons will have to compete with the likes of the Dolphins, Jets, Panthers and many other teams who will be in better position to land Watson.
As a matter of fact, the only way it works is if the Falcons somehow gain leverage (ie. Watson says he wants to play in Atlanta or lists the Falcons as one of only a couple of teams he would consider)
If he did, though, here’s a look at three possible trade packages for the Atlanta Falcons that could get the job done.
Trade Package No. 1
Texans get…
- Matt Ryan
- 2021 No. 4 overall pick
- 2021 second-round pick
- 2021 sixth-round pick
- 2022 first-round pick
- 2022 third-round pick
- 2023 second-round pick
Falcons get…
- Deshaun Watson
If you’re reading this looking for some easy and clean trade package, you’re not going to find it anywhere.
The reality is that Matt Ryan’s contract is going to be almost impossible to move and the Falcons will absolutely have to give up a ton of draft capital to entice the Texans.
Keep in mind that the Texans will get offers from teams like the Jets (Sam Darnold & the No. 2 overall pick) and the Dolphins (Tua Tagovailoa & the No. 3 overall pick) who have much better assets to make something happen.
The only way the Falcons outbid them? Give up a ton of draft capital.
In this particular package, the Falcons would give up six total draft picks (three this year, two next year and one in 2023) to get Watson and to offload Ryan’s contract.
Trade Package No. 2
Texans get…
- Matt Ryan
- A.J. Terrell
- 2021 No. 4 overall pick
- 2021 second-round pick
- 2022 first-round pick
- 2022 third-round pick
Falcons get…
- Deshaun Watson
In this second trade scenario, you’re getting rid of Ryan’s contract, giving the Texans two picks in 2021 and two picks in 2022, and you’re also giving them a promising young piece in former first-rounder A.J. Terrell.
The Texans can use all the help they can get defensively and Terrell would be a nice piece to begin to build around in that defensive backfield.
It’s not going to help the Falcons, but that’s a package that might at least draw the eye of the Texans.
Trade Package No. 3
Texans get…
- A.J. Terrell
- 2021 No. 4 overall pick
- 2021 second-round pick
- 2021 fourth-round pick
- 2022 second-round pick
49ers get…
- Matt Ryan
- 2021 third-round pick
- 2021 sixth-round pick
- 2022 first-round pick
- 2022 fifth-round pick
Falcons get…
- Deshaun Watson
- 2022 sixth-round pick from 49ers
The third option is to get another team involved.
The San Francisco 49ers are one team that has quite the amount of cap space coming into the season. If the Falcons offloaded Ryan’s contract to the 49ers, they’d have to give up a decent amount of capital in return.
In this trade package, the Falcons would give up a total of eight draft picks and get one back in return.
I know what you’re thinking reading this: Eight draft picks? You’re insane.
No, I’m really not.
I’m not saying that it’s worth it for the Atlanta Falcons to give up that much draft capital to get Watson, but I am saying that this is the type of trade that would have the be orchestrated- at the very least- to get him to Atlanta.
The odds of it happening are next-to-nothing (and you can see why when we lay out these packages), but that’s what it will likely take for the Falcons to get in the conversation, especially with the amount of competition they’ll be facing on the trade market.