Patriots: Ranking the likelihood of NE landing these QBs for 2021 season

4. Deshaun Watson

Do the Patriots have the requisite assets to trade for Deshaun Watson?

Fans in New England were no doubt hoping that Deshaun Watson would rank No. 1 on this list, but we have to be objective with our analysis. As things stand, almost everyone would agree that it’s become a matter of when (not if) he waives his no-trade clause amid his falling out with the Texans, who have quickly become the poster child for how not to treat a franchise quarterback.

If that comes to fruition, the Patriots will have to compete with a multitude of teams and the fact of the matter is that they probably couldn’t even make a more compelling offer than the Jets, who have stocked up on draft capital that will assuredly entice Houston, given how they mortgaged their future in previous trades of their own.

In the end, this will all come down to Watson. Who knows? Maybe having the chance to play under perhaps the greatest coach of all time is enough to convince him to sanction a trade to the Pats. However, since there are two teams in their own division (Miami and New York) that are better positioned to trade for him, we couldn’t put him higher than No. 4 on this list.