Miami Dolphins link to Deshaun Watson will get worse after Watt release
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have slipped out of the Deshaun Watson rumors over the last week or so but we can expect those rumors and the speculation that goes with it will continue to grow now that J.J. Watt is getting his release.
The Houston Texans have said they don’t want to trade Watson but there is little chance of them being able to convince him to stay now. Earlier today J.J. Watt announced to his fans that he asked for and received his release. What does this mean for Watson?
The Texans are going to rebuild but it is not going to be easy to do so around a disgruntled quarterback no matter how good he is. More than likely, the Watson stuff is going to heat up in the coming days.
Free agency and the league new year will begin on March 17th and any trade made between now and then will not be official until then but we can expect trades to be announced prior to that if they are made.
Watson is in a much different position than Watt. The Texans were not going to build around him but they want to around Watson. The problem is that Watson doesn’t want to be in Houston and he controls a lot of what happens with his career and can force a trade if he desires simply by not showing up and taking the fines.
For the Dolphins, it has been quite on the Watson front for about a week and in some ways that seems like a great vacation. How much will it change now that Watt is getting his release? Probably it will be significant. With Watt gone, Watson is not going to want to sit around and wait for the Texans to figure out what they are doing. He has already requested a trade, per reports from two weeks ago.
The pricetag for Watson is going to be through the roof but here is something to keep in mind. The Texans could have traded Watt and got something in return, they didn’t, instead opting to “mutually part ways”. If Watson demands to be traded and refused to play for the Texans, his compensation will drop, not rise. If other teams know the Texans are against the wall in regards to Watson, they won’t be throwing draft picks at them unless multiple teams get involved.
The next few weeks are going to be very interesting but if you thought the Watson to Miami talk was over, I think it is just getting ready for a second wave. Watt, he is likely the first domino that falls in Texas.