Patriots: Is there any way we can save Deshaun Watson from Texans?

Is there any chance the Patriots can save QB Deshaun Watson from Houston?

The New England Patriots suffered arguably their worst loss of the season this past Sunday when they fell to the inept Houston Texans after previously catapulting themselves back into the AFC playoff picture on the heels of two straight victories.

Despite putting together a solid performance, the defeat served as an indictment on Cam Newton, who unfortunately proved once again that he isn’t capable of bringing his teams back from large deficits.

The Patriots’ lackluster offensive roster and alarming regression on defense certainly hasn’t helped his situation, but deploying a gunslinger that can light up the scoreboard in a hurry is a virtual necessity in today’s game given the historic rate at which teams are putting up points.

Because of Newton’s apparent inability to do that, he’ll likely test free agency once the season is over, and that got us thinking: What would it take for the Patriots to strike a deal for Texans superstar quarterback Deshaun Watson, who went nuclear on Sunday?

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1330594758629134340

The Patriots were linked (via trade) to Watson in the offseason when he was regularly posting cryptic lyrics on social media that seemed to put his future with the Texans in question. Just a few months later, however, he put that controversy to bed after signing a four-year, $156 million extension.

While we obviously don’t blame Watson for securing the bag, his decision to re-sign with a franchise that is seemingly years away from competing was baffling. Though the firing of head coach and de facto GM Bill O’Brien no doubt bolstered his chances of staying in Houston, he has to be aware of the awful situation the organization is in, right?

With defensive end JJ Watt likely to demand a trade this offseason in pursuit of a championship, it’s possible that the two-time Pro Bowler does the same in the near future. Given that the Texans need a shipment of draft picks to make up for O’Brien’s asset-draining reign of terror (no first-rounder this year!), perhaps the Patriots can get away with a package that includes:

• 2021 first, third and fourth-round picks
• 2022 first and second-round selections

You could argue that Houston, other than Watson, has one (maybe two) building blocks in place for the future. That’s a recipe for a disaster for a quarterback who’s just entering the prime of his career at 25 years old.

Because of that, they HAVE to consider whether hitting the reset button is the right move for the future of the franchise. We’re obviously biased when it comes to the Patriots, but objectively speaking, hoarding draft picks sounds a lot more appealing than wasting the prime years of an elite quarterback who’s eating up bunches of cap space.

Again, it’s far from a sure thing — and the Texans are as inept as any organization in the NFL — but a loaded trade package like the one mentioned above might just put the Patriots in a position to save Watson’s legacy from going down the tubes in Houston.

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