“I Think Tampa Makes The Most Sense”
March 12th, 2022
Key with Deshaun Watson?
Very strong insight from a Houston sports radio talking head on who the favorite may be in landing embattled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Remember who was Watson’s only NFL head coach (unless you want to count Romeo Crennel who took over Houston midway through the last season)? That would be Bill O’Brien. And what type of offense did O’Brien run? Same offense he ran in New England, the Belicheats offense.
And guess what offensive coordinator has experience helping a top-shelf quarterback transition and meld the Belicheats offense with Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians’ offense? That would be Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Seth Payne of Sports Radio 610 in Houston appeared on the “Zach Gelb Show” heard on CBS Sports Radio and explained how he considered Leftwich the key in any trade for Watson.
Leftwich already knows what works and what doesn’t in the transition from the Belicheats offense to Bucco Bruce Arians’, and he would also know the speed bumps to avoid since he helped Tome Brady master Arians’ offense.
It’s a very interesting angle.
Joe has noticed Bucs fans on Twitter claiming the Bucs cannot come up with the capital to trade for Watson. That is just rubbish. Nowhere in the NFL bylaws prevents teams from trading future draft picks.
Additionally, remember who holds the hammer in all of this. It’s Watson. He has a no-trade clause. The Stinking Panthers could offer Houston five first-round picks and if Watson doesn’t want to waive his no-trade clause, it doesn’t matter. Shoot, he already invoked his no-trade clause last year when the Stinking Panthers had a deal worked out with the Texans.
“I think Tampa makes the most sense,” Payne said.
You can hear a clip of Payne speaking of the Bucs’ chances of landing Watson in the CBS Radio audio below.
.@SethCPayne explains why Byron Leftwich could play a major role in the Buccaneers potentially acquiring Deshaun Watson.
Full @ZachGelb Show chat with Seth Payne of @SportsRadio610: https://t.co/2I3QlJaY7U pic.twitter.com/rr5zet9AIQ
— CBS Sports Radio (@CBSSportsRadio) March 12, 2022
March 12th, 2022 at 12:09 am
And maybe the Raiders get Watson and the Bucs get Carr…
Sure will be glad when all this qb nonsense is in the rearview mirror!
March 12th, 2022 at 12:11 am
Im looking for entertainment, which involves winning, not a role model
bring em in
March 12th, 2022 at 12:16 am
If I were Kyle Trask, and the Bucs signed a young(ish) QB that’s going to play in Tampa for more than a year or two, I would already be planning my way out of there. To draft him highly and then throw him onto the trash heap by signing a longer term franchise QB is a slap in the face and a statement that he will never be more than a backup in Tampa. I would be doing all I could to get out of Tampa as soon as humanly possible, whatever that takes.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:16 am
We’ve had 2 great seasons recently. This off-season. Is full of uncertainty. I personally trust the G.M. and Arians to put us in the best possible situation to win. I don’t understand the hate some fans have for Bucco Bruce its mind boggling. It must be new fans who don’t know about our history or personally witnessed it. This roster is still very vary good. Our D line definitely needs a infuse of talent, guys like JPP and Suh are just too long in the tooth. Who knows if they even come back. I’m rolling with my team no matter what I got two Bucs tattoos that are visible so no hiding my Fandom from. Anyone. Go Bucs!!
Bucs!!!!
March 12th, 2022 at 12:20 am
Absolutely. I would give up two 1’s & 2’s.
He’s as good or better than R Wilson and 10 years younger.
It means SUH, JPP, Davis, Gronk, Jensen are all definitely gone. Not a problem. They have their quarterback for the next 10 years and that is harder to obtain than any of those other positions. They can all be replaced through the draft and free agency. This could make them a Super Bowl contender again by 2023.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:22 am
FLBoyInDallas
Oh well. It’s a big boy business don’t let your feelings get hurt.
If they do that then obviously they don’t think Trask is ready this year and probably next year. Or they think he’s barely above average at best.
Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, is top a 10, possibly top-five, QB in the NFL and is a franchise quarterback for the next decade.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:24 am
What The Ghost said…
March 12th, 2022 at 12:28 am
If the deal gets done I just realized that Houston will likely want Kyle Trask as part of the package. They have no QB of the future on their roster and no good options in free agency. In Trask’s shoes I’d be telling my agent to ask for that trade. Gives him a genuine shot at the starting job in an open competition.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:39 am
They would have to thread the needle to pull off the trade, and have enough to sign/resign supporting players. They can clear about $30mil with restructures of Shaq/ME13/D.Smith. Brady saves you about $12 after 6/1. Cutting Brate gives you another 5-6 million depending on when you cut him. Whether you cut, restructure, or trade LVD you get about 5-7 million with at least that amount in dead money. $20 million in dead money for Marpet, Suh, and Gronk. Some money to work with, but tons of moving parts.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:43 am
Yep makes the most sense for the Bucs problem is we are at the mercy of whatever he wants to do. We have to hope this is the only place he wants to go but chances are he’ll give the Texans two or three destinations he would consider. It’s still a long shot
Lovie isn’t interested in future draft picks the way he coaches he may not be around long enough to build the team lol
March 12th, 2022 at 12:47 am
Deshaun Watson is an upgrade to the Bucs QB position from TB12.
TB12 is old.
I remember Peyton Manning being amazing in his older age in 2014, making the Pro Bowl, starting every game, throwing for 4,700 Yrds/39 TD’s/16INT’s and leading his team to the playoffs with a 12-4 record.
In 2015 Peyton Manning was a shell of himself, starting only 9 games, throwing for 2,200 Yrds/9 TDS/17 INT’s, but he was lucky to have Von Miller and Denver’s defense so that he could go out as a Super Bowl Champion.
Father Time is inevitable. It comes for everyone.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:49 am
FLBoy Trask can’t plan his exit, he’s under contract and the Bucs have no reason to move on from him.
Watson is the best available QB but at what cost? If we give up a boatload of picks then we need to win a super bow to justify it. Otherwise, I’d rather see Trask
March 12th, 2022 at 12:55 am
His nickname should be Trouble.
March 12th, 2022 at 1:02 am
Davis Mills?
March 12th, 2022 at 1:09 am
I love the idea of having deshaun watson at the helm of our offense, but I also wonder how he will fit into our locker room which so desperately needed brady’s guidance and poise. He is a fantastic player but I’m not so sure how he can possibly be the leader we need at qb.
March 12th, 2022 at 1:10 am
1. We don’t have the cap space
2. If we do it, we can’t afford other free agents
3. If we do it, we don’t have draft picks to fill spots we can’t fill with free agents
==> roster becomes old and depleted and we suck
March 12th, 2022 at 1:52 am
Just because you get drafted high doesn’t guarantee a thing. Ask Josh Rosen.
The problem with Trask is that he was drafted to be a developmental during what is supposed to be a longer Brady era. No guarantees to be a starter. His college career was mixed, and his preseason last year was also mixed. He still has to earn any starting shot, and he deserves that chance.
That shouldn’t preclude them bringing in young competition, whether via the draft or a trade (Mike White, Minshew etc.) That is a far better and fiscally cheap plan, that transitions this team forward with potentially good results.
This can’t be an all-in season with a veteran super team. The money isn’t there. It ended with Brady, and Brady is done.
March 12th, 2022 at 1:55 am
Are we really going to devolve from Tom Brady, the greatest of all time, to…DeShaun 22 Watson. A surefire way to lose fans. And lose games.
March 12th, 2022 at 2:09 am
Brady retired immediately after the season for a reason. He knew what was coming to Tampa and wanted no part of it.
He knew Marpet was likely to retire long before it was announced, he knew Jensen was leaving, and he knew there was a whole list of premium free agents likely to leave as well. Plus Godwin wouldn’t even be able to practice until midseason.
TB12 wanted NO part of a rebuild. Licht tried to be optimistic by calling it a “reboot”, not a rebuild. Whatever. That’s just semantics and Brady knew it.
Here’s the truth: THE SUPER BOWL WINDOW IS CLOSED. The Bucs need to accept and embrace that.
Bringing in a guy like Watson smacks of self-deception. This is a move you make when you have a Super Bowl ready roster and just need to plug in a QB to make a deep playoff run. The Bucs are NOT in that position any longer.
Giving up a pile of premium draft picks to bring in a guy to lead what will end up being a slightly-above-average roster is poor decision making. The Bucs need to embrace the REBUILD and start the process now, not later.
March 12th, 2022 at 2:10 am
you know what they say…
no face no case…
in this scenario it’s:
no weenie…no subpoenie…
bring the coxman in………….asap
March 12th, 2022 at 2:31 am
get watson in here asap…
forget tom…trade him and get at least a first rounder for him and maybe kittle if he goes to sf…
now there are a group of bucs or potential bucs who are “tom’s guys”, and you basically say goodbye to them all…
jensen – see ya…
gronk – peace caseace…
lenny – can go follow tom or find hit lotto contract…
maybe that’s basically all his guys right there…
resign rojo as the main back…
resign gio as a pure 3rd down back…
dump trask in the watson or brady trade if you guys think he hasn’t shown enough in his year as the goats understudy…
dump gabbert or griff…keep one of the two as back up…
build in the draft with whatever you don’t have to trade away for watson…
solidify both lines with draft picks and free agent help…
keep suh or jpp…one of the two – try to keep one…
sign whitehead, let carlton find his lottery ticket out there…
dump all brady links and get watson in the door asap…
we will win 10 games with watson, potentially 11…more than that will be tough with the schedule…10 wins the division…
bring in the “coxman” because the “goat” has become an unreliable head case of sorts…
he doesn’t know if he’s coming or going in his old age…is the door open – is the door closed – is he wifey whipped or a disco daddy…
love him to death, but our season is in the palm of his hands and he isn’t treating people in bucsville correctly right now…
jason if you read this – pull the trigger – git err dun – look at my ideas – then improvise because you know better than me
LFG ! 🙂
March 12th, 2022 at 2:40 am
@FLBoyInDallas:
wrong broski…
brady was the guy you plug in to a superbowl ready squad…
watson is the guy you hope to keep for 8 years and win a couple superbowls with…
maybe not this year, but with him we are a playoff team and can potentially even win a game or two in the playoffs…
no superbowl this year tho…
watson is no tom brady…
brady – the ultimate game manager – can be plugged in to any superbowl ready team for at least a couple more years – then he’s done too
March 12th, 2022 at 2:42 am
Why should the Bucs go for ANY of the expensive free agents or big name trade possibilities? All that will leave you is an expensive QB like De22 Watson, and a depleted roster, depleted in part because of the QB.
We’ve had two seasons of Brady and a veteran team that got us a SB and within 8 quarters of winning another. Mission accomplished.
Embrace a 2 year reboot. Stock up depth with this draft, which is deep at many positions, and next year’s. Do the INexpensive thing at QB, and let Trask/rookie/lower priced trade target compete and see where it goes.
Target the future. There is nothing scarier than a deep team that is young, that opposing teams fear will be around for a long time.
March 12th, 2022 at 2:46 am
@HC Grover:
his nickname is “the coxman”
or if he really does come here after all, we must then be more pc…
so we will go from:
“the goat” to “the rooster” 🙂
March 12th, 2022 at 2:47 am
FLBoy, I agree totally. It makes no sense to waste draft picks on “blockbusters” or De22 or any overpriced names. All that does is leave a thin team with high priced veterans clogging up the roster that remains thin for years. USE the draft and do it well.
March 12th, 2022 at 3:00 am
putin is trying to end the world…get watson in here…hide him levels below the irrigation system at ray jay and give him 10s of cases of chunky soup and a hot plate to live on…let him pop out like a ground hog when he’s good and ready…protect the young man from putin…we need a qb if nothing else!
March 12th, 2022 at 3:03 am
steele:
just because we built a team that was superbowl ready and just needed a quarterback — doesn’t mean that has to be the way you build every time…
you can already have the quarterback and then puzzle in the missing pieces slowly over a couple seasons — it can be done that way too…
the last model we used doesn’t have to be the future model bro…
think about that
March 12th, 2022 at 3:35 am
We’ve already had a season gradually devolving from football to a circus, culminating with the likes of AB’s depravity. Make Watson the face of the franchise, and the Bucs fan base will enjoy the pleasure of debating all 22 of DeShaun’s lewd acts, his legal status, and he said/she said. On top of mediocre quarterbacking, that mortgages a big chunk of the future. Is that what we want for this football team?
March 12th, 2022 at 4:14 am
So we gut the franchise to acquire a QB. BS. Build on what we have.
March 12th, 2022 at 4:31 am
Being a Bucs fan nowadays is very much like watching a squirrel try to cross a busy road in traffic. Forward-back, forward-back, forward-back, then … SPLAT. First it’s ‘Tom Brady’s coming back, yeah’. Then it’s ‘Oh wait, Aaron Rodgers is sniffing Tampa, yeah’. Followed by ‘Even better, Russell Wilson wants out of Seattle, let’s grab him’. Then of course ‘Someone said we can get Deshaun Watson; oh boy, let’s trade for Watson now’.
Forward-back, forward-back, forward-back, then … SPLAT.
Bucs ‘don’t have a pot to pee in’ like mama used to say. Trade for Watson & we’ll (1) pay a king’s ransom to Houston to acquire him; and (2) owe Watson a king’s ransom to keep him; and (3) have close to nothing left to BUILD A TEAM AROUND HIM; and (4) watch him leave in 2024 because his contract has an ‘out’ at that point. Take a close look at Watson’s contract that started this year:
‘Deshaun Watson signed a 4 year, $156,000,000 contract with the Houston Texans, including a $27,000,000 signing bonus, $110,717,123 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $39,000,000. In 2022, Watson will earn a base salary of $35,000,000, while carrying a cap hit of $40,400,000 and a dead cap value of $51,200,000.’
That’s what we’d be paying Watson … minimum. Lovie will want some high draft picks, maybe players AND money to trade his rights to Tampa. We’d have diddly left to BUILD A TEAM AROUND HIM. Take a very close look at how Watson did in Houston when the team around him sucked. It wasn’t pretty.
Forward-back, forward-back, forward-back, then … SPLAT.
March 12th, 2022 at 4:34 am
Deshaun Watson is not going to happen.
First, he isn’t even going to play this year. I mean, get serious. Even if he only gets suspended 1 game per accusation, that’s a 22 game suspension. That’s nearly a season and a half that Goodell would be justified to suspend him.I
Even if he just suspends him for a season, that would mean:
– Two years of not playing football…so why do so many people think he’ll still be good???
– The Bucs simply do not have enough cap space (yet) for his contract…which, btw, is way too high.
– This is a guy who quit on his team and sat out a year…and harassed 22 women in that timespan. Why would any of the players respect him???
– Even if we somehow managed to fit him into the cap, we’d be giving up players we need on the team to win…and we would not be able to replace those players with draft picks because we’ll have traded them all.
You all need to get a dose of reality.
March 12th, 2022 at 4:38 am
Well said, Defense.
Also…It’s entirely possible that Watson won’t want to leave the Texans now that to staff has changed.
March 12th, 2022 at 4:49 am
I think he should change his jersey number to 22
March 12th, 2022 at 4:52 am
Not sure when this is all said and done, it will be a happy ending, but as our new potential leader clearly knows, we should always try for one.
March 12th, 2022 at 5:42 am
For everyone who thinks Deshaun Watson stays with the Texans, please consider this reports.
It has been reported that Deshaun Watson allegedly hates the Texans Owner and allegedly blames the Texans Owner for playing a part in this criminal and civil investigation.
If that’s true, then Watson is never playing for the Texans again in my opinion.
March 12th, 2022 at 5:46 am
I think we probably send draft picks, Trask and Shaq Barrett or Godwin…..although my choice would be D. White. Sending Barrett frees up cash, he’s a proven commodity at DE and there’s no draft capital or legacy invested in him. I think Godwin could be a possibly for playing hardball with the Bucs. There’s a real chance they get nothing for him next year if he doesn’t work out a long term deal so now might be as good as any to cash in. Its a business and he’ll still get paid but when i look at the value he’ll fetch and how often he gets hurt compared to having a young franchise QB for the next 10 yrs……its a no brainer.
March 12th, 2022 at 7:02 am
Bonzai
Did you not read articles from yesterday. There will be no criminal charges. So it will be what potential suspension the nfl drops in his lap
Cause to this point , its only been watson dropping dna from his lap
March 12th, 2022 at 7:41 am
I love reading the 4 or 5 crybabies posts everyday..I really appreciate the owners and staff bringing us a Super Bowl..let this off-season play out..I am sure the bucs have a plan to restructure existing contracts..there is only one Tom Brady just ask New England .. we got what we wanted from Tom..I say let’s see what the roster is before everyone jumps off the pirate ship..
March 12th, 2022 at 9:04 am
Maret said if TB12 didn’t retire he’d still play.
March 12th, 2022 at 9:27 am
Saying TB12 is officially retired ….is like saying Biden doesn’t need a teleprompter
March 12th, 2022 at 10:09 am
Brady is retired until he states otherwise. Keep it simple, ignore the BS rumors.
March 12th, 2022 at 12:18 pm
Offer Brady 70 / 80 mil 2 years, then start Trask
March 13th, 2022 at 3:57 pm
Something is telling me to keep him don’t trade Kyle trask…plz
Remember ?
Super bowl winner
Doug Williams
Steve Young
Trent Dilfer