The pathway for the Texans to trade QB Deshaun Watson to the 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a dark horse candidate who could trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
It makes sense why the 49ers would at least ask what the Texans’ price is. While Jimmy Garoppolo led San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2019 season, the fact is he has played in 25 of the last 48 regular season games. Garoppolo isn’t exactly the picture of reliability under center, and San Francisco has paid the price, specifically in 2020.
If the 49ers could get Watson, who has not missed a game (sans the 2019 season finale) due to injury since his ACL tear in his rookie season, they would be contenders every season. Watson’s mobility would also make bootlegs even more dangerous in Kyle Shanahan’s system.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, if the Texans were to give up Watson and the 49ers were to strike, here is what the trade compensation would look like.
Seven-for-1. Garoppolo, linebacker Fred Warner (that really hurts), tackle Mike McGlinchey, first-round picks in 2021 (12th overall) and 2022, plus a second-round pick in 2021 and third-round pick in 2022 for Watson. It’s a lot for the Niners to pay; of all the players in all the deals I’m proposing, Warner would be the most coveted one in my book. But he’s here because he is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would want a new deal. (McGlinchey is in exact same position, too.) Houston could view them as cornerstones for the rebuild.
If the Texans picked up McGlinchey, they could kick right tackle Tytus Howard inside and play one of the guard spots. Presumably, the Texans could have a solid offensive line, although the loss of Watson would severely hamper the skill positions. Warner would beef up the defense and provide some juice as Houston worked its way through the hard rebuild.
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4 goals Texans must accomplish if they trade QB Deshaun Watson
