Report: Sleeper team emerges in Deshaun Watson sweepstakes

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has dominated NFL headlines for some time now, and his trade market continues to rapidly heat up as NFL free agency gets underway. Many teams have been linked to Watson, including the Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and others. Now, the Atlanta Falcons have been linked to Watson as a sleeper team, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to acquire Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, league sources tell @mortreport and me,” Schefter tweeted. The Falcons join the Panthers, Saints and Browns as teams that have met with, or are interested in, trading for Watson. More to come on ESPN.

“Falcons owner Arthur Blank is fond of Deshaun Watson from the days when the former Gainesville (Ga) High quarterback worked multiple years as a Falcons’ ball boy and developed a relationship with Blank’s family.”

Watson’s legal situation is now cleared, and ever since, he has been mentioned as a likely trade candidate throughout NFL circles. Multiple teams reportedly have offers on the table for Watson, while he is set to meet with some throughout the next couple of days.

The Falcons entrance into the Watson sweepstakes is a true curveball, and could have massive impacts on the quarterback market around the league.

The Falcons are a surprising option for Watson

The NFC South clearly likes Watson, as the Saints, Panthers and Falcons have been linked to him. Even the Buccaneers were thrown around as a possibility prior to Tom Brady coming out of retirement.

But the biggest question mark regarding the Falcons’ rumored interest in Watson? That would be current starting quarterback Matt Ryan. Having Watson and Ryan on the same roster would not be plausible. Ryan is due over $36 million against the cap next season.

The Falcons even just restructured Ryan’s contract last week, creating $12 million in cap room. Ryan was set to count nearly $50 million against the cap prior to the restructuring of his deal.

Ryan threw for nearly 4,000 yards last season. It was the first time since 2010 he did not reach at least 4,000 yards in a single season. If the Falcons did acquire Watson, they would be committing to a younger quarterback that is also ready to contribute right away. Then, the question would become what happens with Ryan. He could be included in a potential deal, or he could be shipped elsewhere to another quarterback needy team in the league.