The QB carousel just doesn’t slow down in the NFL.
Following news of the trade of Russell Wilson to the Broncos on Tuesday and Carson Wentz to the Commanders on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers could be the next domino to hit in the quarterback search this offseason.
According to a report by former NFL QB and current radio host Sean King, who resides in Las Vegas, the Steelers and Houston Texans could agree a trade for the much-maligned QB Deshawn Watson “shortly after” Friday’s grand jury hearing if the results from Friday’s trial are ” positive.”
Hearing that things were going well on Friday, Deshawn Watson told the stalkers that shortly thereafter… @VSiNLive @1TimMurray @TheAOster @Bill80 @mlombardiNFL
— Sean King (@realshaunking) March 9, 2022
How plausible this report is remains to be seen, as none of the big insiders have reported anything like this, but it’s interesting to hear King officially state this.
Of course, the main hitch in any deal with Watson is the sheer volume of allegations and criminal complaints he faces.
A grand jury is expected to hear evidence on Friday of a possible criminal investigation into Watson, who was accused by 22 women of sexual assault or sexual harassment during massage therapy sessions. Ten of the 22 women filed criminal complaints against Watson last year, and several of those plaintiffs were subpoenaed Friday to testify in a criminal investigation, the Houston Chronicle reported. Watson also has to testify.
King is a former NFL quarterback and a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl XXXVII championship team. King currently hosts a radio show every week in the evening, previously worked as an analyst for ESPN’s college football and Arena Football League studios, and worked as an NFL analyst for NBC Sports Network, Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports Net and Versus.
This report should be taken with extreme caution as, again, it’s not clear how credible it comes from King or any of the other major insiders in the NFL media landscape.
Prior to Watson’s legal troubles, he had previously requested a deal from the Texans, who refused to move their then-star quarterback. Trade talks between the Texans and the Miami Dolphins reportedly escalated in the final season last season, but nothing came to fruition. If Watson’s court hearing in Houston on Friday goes well, it will indeed open the door for Texans to successfully relocate him. It’s just hard to imagine the Steelers taking on that baggage off the field, forgoing the necessary draft capital and potential players to do so.
For what it’s worth, former NFL chief executive Joe Banner, who owns the 33rd team with Mike Tannenbaum, offered Watson a potential landing spot if his legal issues were resolved. Interestingly, the Steelers weren’t even mentioned.
Steelers Insider and Post-Gazette writer Jerry Dulac threw cold water at King’s report on Wednesday, saying the Steelers were not interested in “signing” Watson, though Dulac likely meant a trade for him. Take it as you can.
The Steelers are NOT interested in signing DeSean Watson, despite what you may hear or read, according to team sources.
— Jerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 9, 2022