The Miami Dolphins will have plenty of competition for Deshaun Watson
By Brian Miller
If the Miami Dolphins truly want to trade for Deshaun Watson they need to be prepared for a potential bidding war while avoiding getting outbid by themselves. There should be plenty of interest for Watson if he demands a trade.
The first thing that needs to happen is Watson needs to request a trade. He has a no-trade clause in his contract. The 2nd thing that needs to happen is the Texans must agree to seek out a trade for their top quarterback. The Texans will find a lot of suitors if they do.
Watson is unhappy with ownership and it has only gotten worse in the last few days. Watson himself was on social media confirming that his anger elevated from a “two to a 10” implying that after receiver DeAndre Hopkins was traded, his anger was a level two.
Speculation on where Watson would land was almost entirely a trade with the Miami Dolphins but now, we are getting the feeling that many other teams will be involved and why wouldn’t they? Watson is 25-year’s old and one of the best QBs in the league. If we are to believe the speculation in the media, we have to figure out who would have the interest and the draft capital to get a trade done? Here are a few possible scenarios that could hinder the Dolphins’ chances to land him.
The Miami Dolphins
If there is any team in the NFL that could drive the price up for the Dolphins, it’s the Dolphins. If Miami is 100% on board with making a blockbuster trade for Watson, they will likely find themselves bidding against themselves and buying into the media-driven narratives of other teams interest in also making a trade.
It is a common tactic used by NFL teams and the Dolphins have done it before. You leak information to the media or an agent that another team has jumped into the fray or you tell a team you have a better offer from another team and see if the compensation offer increases. The idea is to create a somewhat chaotic situation in the hopes of wringing out one more draft pick. This is what the Dolphins have to avoid.
There were reports that Miami bid against themselves when they sent a 2nd-round pick to the Cardinals for Josh Rosen, a trade that was a monumental failure in hindsight. Grier has to set a maximum and stick to it no matter what, otherwise, he could get schooled by new Texans GM Nick Caserio. Caserio was the head personnel guy in New England and knows Brian Flores well.