John McClain of the Houston Chronicle joined “Big Al and JoJo” on KOA Radio on Thursday evening to throw some cold water on the Deshaun Watson-to-Denver Broncos rumors.
“Well, first of all, I’ll guarantee you the Broncos ain’t getting Deshaun Watson,” McClain said. “If they [the Texans] are going to trade him … trade talks would have to start with the Jets because the Jets are the only team that can guarantee them the second-best quarterback prospect in the draft plus a whole lot more.”
It’s worth noting that McClain tweeted in January that he had a better chance of becoming Houston’s coach than Watson had of being traded. McClain has seemingly now changed his tune, telling KOA Radio it would take at least four first-round draft picks to acquire Watson in a trade.
It’s also worth noting that McClain is well-connected to the Texans and the team he did mention — New York — has a lot of draft capital available for a potential trade. Watson has a no-trade clause, though, so if more than one team makes an offer, the QB will have a say in his next team.
McClain’s belief that Watson won’t land in Denver aligns with a report from The Gazette’s Woody Paige that stated the QB has “zero interest” in the Broncos. Paige tweeted McClain’s remarks on Friday and his tweet was “liked” by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Chris Harris.
“I’ll guarantee you the Denver Broncos will not get Deshaun Watson from Texans,” John McClain of Houston Chronicle, one of nation’s most respected NFL reporters and my friend forever, told KOA radio.
— Woody Paige (@woodypaige) February 19, 2021
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Harris, who started his career in Denver, has said Watson would not want to join the AFC West and compete against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, who played with Watson in Houston, has spoken with the QB and he said Watson has interest in Denver.
In addition to Jackson, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler have also reported that Watson would be interested in joining the Broncos. Denver will pursue the QB if the Texans grant his trade request, according to KMGH-TV’s Troy Renck and NFL Network’s James Palmer.
McClain and Paige are clearly in the minority, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wrong. We won’t have much clarity on the situation until Watson speaks himself or until Houston actually agrees to trade him. Until then, buzz about the QB’s next team will remain in the rumor category.
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