Deshaun Watson is reportedly interested in the Vikings, should the Vikings have interest in Watson?!
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about embattled Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, that changed this morning in a big way for Vikings fans in particular.
After being unable to find his way to a new team in 2021, Watson has reportedly begun the process of assessing potential landing spots for his 2022 season. The two teams named in the Jeremy Fowler report…the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Minnesota Vikings.
New Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith said this week that he would like a decision made on Watson’s future as soon as possible so that he can begin formulating his squad for the 2022 season one way or another. Still under team control, Watson would need to be traded and it sounds like the price tag would be high.
In his last season on the field, Watson broke out as an up and coming star passing for nearly 5,000 yards, 33 TDs while rushing for 444 yards and 3 more TDs.
Presently, 22 women have come forth with claims of misconduct against Watson. There is reportedly a settlement offer on the table as of January 2022.
Watson does have a full no trade clause on his contract so his interest in the Minnesota Vikings is news worthy. He has four more seasons left on his current contract with an out clause built in after 2024. He’s due $40 million in ’22, $42 million in ’23, $37 million in ’24 and $32 million in ’25. It’s not exactly the reprieve that you would like when coming from Kirk Cousins, but the ceiling for Watson is thought to be higher and Watson is only 26 years old.
For a team that’s struggled to find a franchise quarterback, Watson presents an intriguing situation. He’s young, he’s talented and he represents everything that Vikings fans want in a mobile, big armed quarterback.
But those legal issues exist, and have hung over his head for more than a year now. Is it a deal breaker for the Vikings? Even if it’s not, can a deal possible be reached to move Cousins? These are the big questions on the table now with this report.
