I guess we gotta talk about the Deshaun Watson rumor.

It was earlier in the week when Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports said that the Eagles were showing interest in Houston’s franchise QB, who wants to get the hell out of there. The rumor didn’t seem to have “legs,” so it kind of died out until the end of the week, when the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane said Thursday that he had “two independent NFL sources” confirm La Canfora’s report.

He wrote:

Watson is five years younger (than Russell Wilson) and would presumably cost more. He reportedly wants out, and has a no-trade clause, but Houston has said it has no intentions of trading the quarterback.

“Howie will give up everything he has for Watson,” an NFL source familiar with the Eagles’ thinking said.

Couple of thoughts here:

  • Watson is awesome and would be fantastic here. He’s only 25 and coming off a 33 touchdown season.
  • He is currently embroiled in a ton of shit, with more women coming out and accusing him of sexual misconduct.
  • Howie Roseman giving up “everything he has for Watson,” is concerning, considering the fact that the Eagles need a lot of pieces and are not just a quarterback away from being competitive. They do have a good bounty of picks to trade, following the Carson Wentz trade, but they need to restock with young talent and hit on some draft selections.

This entire thing may be a non-starter, considering that Watson is now facing seven lawsuits from women who accuse him of pursuing non-consensual sex acts. He hasn’t been charged or convicted of anything, and due process will play out here, but right now association with him in any way is going to be toxic.

On the other hand, if you’re a degenerate looking for value, then the Texans might be willing to take on less to just rid themselves of a problem. That theory has indeed been shared by a lot of folks who are brushing off the accusations, like they don’t exist.

Consider how a lot of people feel about Odubel Herrera right now, and then think about what would happen if the Eagles traded for Watson. It’s just too much muck to navigate, and probably not worth the trouble.

But we’ll see. Crazier things have happened. This could all just be Howie blowing smoke up asses as a sort of draft day misdirection. Maybe they have their sights set on a quarterback at #6 overall and are just flooding the zone with misinformation. I wouldn’t put anything past the Birds.