Three barriers preventing Deshaun Watson from becoming the Falcons QB

Deshaun Watson is not going to be an Atlanta Falcons quarterback anytime soon.

Georgia native and former Atlanta Falcons locker room attendant Deshaun Watson has turned the NFL upside down now that he has made a formal trade request.

Most would agree that Deshaun Watson deserves better than he has gotten in Houston. Former head coach Bill O’Brien took that franchise from an AFC contender to the worst franchise in the NFL in less than 18 months. Not only did he trade away some of the league’s best players but he also got rid of their draft picks at the same time.

When you add in the fact that the owner asked Deshaun Watson for input in the team’s general manager and coaching search and then completely ignored him, all hell has broken loose in Houston.

When the rumors started a few weeks ago that he wanted to be traded, fans and media sites started to come up with ways to trade for Deshaun Watson’s services, including this one.

The reality is this, Deshaun Watson will not be the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons anytime soon, if ever. Yes, he wears Falcons clothing. Yes, his mom lives an hour north of the city. Yes, he considers Georgia home, but none of that means he will be part of the organization.

Barriers to trading for Deshaun Watson.

There are several barriers to trading for Deshaun Watson, the biggest one would be Matt Ryan. While it is not impossible to get rid of Matt Ryan’s contract, the Texans are not going to take on any part of that in a trade. While there are a lot of teams in need of a quarterback, none of them want a 35-year-old quarterback who is owed more than $50 million over the next two seasons.

Another barrier is assets.

The Atlanta Falcons need to look at the roster and assess the team’s needs and what it will take to become an NFC contender sooner than later.

There is not a single person that looks at this roster as is and truly believes that Deshaun Watson makes this team a contender without help at running back, offensive line, pass rush, and the secondary. Trading for Deshaun Watson limits this team’s ability to properly address those positions.

The last barrier is Deshaun Watson himself.

Deshaun Watson has been very specific that he wants to play for either the Jets or the Dolphins. He believes in those coaching staffs, those owners, and those rosters. While some may believe that this is misguided on his part, it is his career.

With the no-trade clause in his contract, Deshaun controls his next move and unfortunately, that means the Falcons are not in his future.

While it would be great to have Deshaun Watson come home and lead the Falcons to a Super Bowl title, it simply is not in the cards and it is time we all focus on who is here and who can actually help lead this franchise to the team’s first Super Bowl.