NY Jets could rewrite history with a trade for Deshaun Watson

Back in 2017, the NY Jets drafted LSU safety Jamal Adams with the sixth overall pick. Six picks later, the Houston Texans traded up 13 spots for Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

With Adams traded to Seattle followed by Sam Darnold‘s disheartening regression in 2020, one can’t help but wonder what life could have been like if the Jets had just drafted Watson sixth overall in 2017.

Well Jets fans, it just so happens that the star-crossed franchise you all know and love has stumbled across an opportunity to rewrite history.

With rumors of Watson wanting out of Houston, the new-look Jets have been gifted an extremely rare shot at redemption as no other team in the league is better suited to trade for the 25-year-old superstar.

With five first-round selections and 12 total picks within the first three rounds in the next three years, general manager Joe Douglas and the Jets most certainly have the ammo to pull off a blockbuster trade with Houston.

To get Watson, it’s going to cost an absolute fortune.

The NY Jets would have to give up a lot to land Deshaun Watson

To get a better grasp of what it might take to bring in Watson, Good Morning Football tweeted out a mock trade that included Watson for the Jets’ second overall pick in 2021, a 2021 second-rounder, a first-rounder in 2022, and a first-rounder in 2023.

For the Texans, that would be quite the haul. For the Jets, it would be totally worth it.

An argument can be made that Watson is the second-best young quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes. While Mahomes is without a doubt the undisputed No. 1 quarterback in the league, Watson’s stats have been right up there with last year’s Super Bowl champion.

Both entered the league in 2017, and despite playing eight fewer games than Watson, Mahomes has been the better quarterback. However, Watson and Mahomes were dealt two completely different hands.

While Mahomes had the opportunity to essentially redshirt his rookie season, Watson was thrown into the fire when he replaced Tom Savage at halftime down 19 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and learned as he went.

Mahomes plays in the most explosive offense in the NFL with a surplus of deadly weapons and offensive wizard Andy Reid calling the plays. Meanwhile, Watson had his favorite target DeAndre Hopkins traded away for a bag of nickels.

It’s also worth mentioning that Mahomes has played behind a top ten offensive line throughout his career while Watson has been sacked 174 times in his career — that’s 107 more times than Mahomes.

Despite fighting an uphill battle with the Texans, Watson has thrown for 14,539 yards and 104 touchdowns while completing nearly 68 percent of his passes. That is 387 more passing yards and a slightly higher completion percentage than Mahomes.

Sure, Mahomes has played fewer games and will most likely eventually surpass Watson, but when you have the opportunity to acquire someone that can hang with the league MVP, you simply do not hesitate.

It is no secret that the Jets’ endless search for a franchise quarterback has been exhausting, to say the least.

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Those who would rather draft Justin Fields from Ohio State or Zach Wilson from BYU with the No. 2 pick need to understand that they are not guaranteed to succeed at the next level. Nobody should appreciate this fact more than Jets fans.

In the past 11 years, the Jets have drafted eight different quarterbacks. Mark Sanchez and Darnold were first-rounders, Geno Smith and Christian Hackenberg were second-rounders, Bryce Petty and James Morgan were mid-round swings, and Tajh Boyd and Greg McElroy were late-round dart throws.

When it comes to quarterbacks, the Jets have basically tried everything. It’s time to stop playing the lottery and take advantage of a golden opportunity with Watson.

Since Watson has a no-trade clause in his current contract with Houston, he will ultimately be the one who decides where he ends up.

The Jets being considered a desirable destination after winning just two games in 2020 seems insane; however, the hiring of Robert Saleh has injected new life into this franchise.

After an incredible endorsement from respected veteran cornerback Richard Sherman and the breadcrumb trail of clues left on social media suggests that the Jets are a real possibility.

If the Jets were able to pull off a trade for Watson, they would be bringing in the most talented quarterback to play in New York since Joe Namath. In my opinion, it would be worth every penny.

The NY Jets would have to give up a lot to land Deshaun Watson

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