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Eagles

Deshaun Watson Reportedly Didn’t Take Eagles Meeting Due to Jalen Hurts Loyalty

Kyle Pagan

By Kyle Pagan

Published:

Photo Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, John McMullen, writing for Philly Voice, went inside the Eagles’ “five minute chase” for Deshaun Watson. He describes it that way because after it was revealed that Watson would not face criminal charges, the Eagles checked in but were reportedly turned down right away because of the quarterback’s loyalty to Jalen Hurts:

Writes McMullen:

“The interesting part is why Watson was so steadfast in his refusal to come to Philadelphia from start to finish in this entire saga. The principles aren’t going on record anytime soon but the strongly held belief around the league is that Watson’s aversion to the Eagles had to do with his loyalty to Jalen Hurts.

Sources familiar with Watson’s sentiments pointed to the relationship built between the two players in the offseason through the connection of working with the same QB trainer, Quincy Avery.”

Welp, that’s a tough pill to swallow regardless of what side of the fence you’re on as an Eagles fan. There were plenty of fans who didn’t want Deshaun Watson no matter what, so the Eagles even being in on him in the first place hurts. There are also plenty of Eagles fans who wanted Deshaun Watson that aren’t going to be happy the QB they already don’t believe in was the main reason Watson didn’t take a meeting with the Eagles.

Would Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie have opened up the checkbook and paid Deshaun $230 million fully guaranteed? I don’t think so. Not with the looming civil cases and a suspension possibly incoming from the NFL. Not to mention, Howie doesn’t make splashy free agent deals like he used to. So maybe this is a moot point. Up until Friday, the Falcons were preparing for Deshaun Watson to come to Atlanta until Watson’s agent circled back to the Browns one last time when they made a Godfather offer:

“By late last week, the prevailing thought around the NFL was that Watson, a Georgia native, would be returning home to Atlanta and the Falcons were certainly acting like a team preparing for Watson’s arrival. At that point, per an NFL source, Mulugheta circled back to Browns, who had been previously informed they were out of the running, and asked if Cleveland wanted one more opportunity to sweeten their offer.”

It was always about the money for Watson, it seems. First it was, “I’m playing in the Southeast.” Then it was, “I’ll play in a major market.” Then you’re shown a check for $230 million and it’s funny how all of that evaporates.

So let the Browns handle this circus. They’re the Browns. What could go wrong?

 

Kyle Pagan
Kyle Pagan

Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com

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