Banner still thinks Eagles are viable option for Deshaun Watson

[time2rock]

Banner still thinks Eagles are viable option for Deshaun Watson

 

Former Eagles president Joe Banner still thinks Philadelphia is a realistic destination for Deshaun Watson.

After news broke Friday that Watson would not face criminal charges (he still faces 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct) the trade market has been off and running.

We know the Eagles have done research on the Watson situation for a while and all the latest reports have them monitoring the situation from afar, but Banner — who has a unique understanding of how the Eagles operate — wouldn’t rule them out, he wrote in a story on The33rdTeam.

Banner listed five realistic destinations for Watson: Carolina, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Seattle.

Of those five teams, three of them (Saints, Panthers, Browns) have reportedly met with Watson. And according to multiple reports, the Texans didn’t allow teams to meet with Watson until they approved their trade proposals. So it seems like things could be moving quickly here. And we haven’t heard any whispers about a potential meeting with the Eagles.

"Although I still consider Philly a viable option and don’t buy reports that they’re out, I don’t think they’re the favorite at this time,” Banner wrote. "The Saints and Panthers are currently the favorites, but the situation is evolving and could change again.”

Of course, Watson is meeting with these teams because he has a no-trade clause in his contract. It has previously been reported that Philadelphia was not on his list of preferred destinations. Although, the Eagles and their three first-round picks in 2022 certainly have the ammo to get a deal done.

Publicly, the Eagles have been very supportive of incumbent quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is still just 23 years old and coming off his first season as a starter. The Eagles believe he can get better in his second season as a starter and it’s looking more and more likely that he’ll get that opportunity.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/nfl-free-agency-2022-deshaun-watson-eagles-joe-banner-still-thinks-philly

[Wormlegs]

Quote

Although, the Eagles and their three first-round picks in 2022 certainly have the ammo to get a deal done.

And this is the only reason why the stupid media keeps tying Watson to Philly. 

[EaglesAddict]

13 minutes ago, Wormlegs said:

And this is the only reason why the stupid media keeps tying Watson to Philly. 

Yep.  And it's also because the Eagles have been interested the whole time, it's just that Watson doesn't want to waive his clause to come here.  

[Rob331]

Doesn't seem likely. Announced this morning (Thursday) that it's down to New Orleans and Atlanta. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

ESP made a rare good point the other day. He said we know that the Eagles have done their research on Watson. We know that they've been keeping tabs and looking at the situation. Given he's not going to face criminal charges why at that point would they decide they are out on him? It doesn't mean they are going to get him but I don't think they are out on him. 

[ManchesterEagle]

You lost me with ESP making a good point (even a rare one - 😉)

In all seriousness, in terms of reputable reports, all we have heard so far is that the Eagles/Howie did their due diligence. Which I would expect when a top 10 QB hits the market. But I don't think the Eagles were ever genuinely interested because:

1) They simply wouldn't be able to build a good enough team with the draft picks and cap it would take to sign Watson.

2) Lurie is in the film industry. He would lose serious face with a lot of his film buddies and contacts if he made Watson the face of the franchise.

I also genuinely think they want to see what they have with Hurts, although that in itself I don't think would have stopped them if it wasn't for 1 or 2 above.

[Cheesteakitis]

1 hour ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

ESP made a rare good point the other day. He said we know that the Eagles have done their research on Watson. We know that they've been keeping tabs and looking at the situation. Given he's not going to face criminal charges why at that point would they decide they are out on him? It doesn't mean they are going to get him but I don't think they are out on him. 

maybe because they feel the nfl will end us suspending him for part/ all of this season and/or they realized having someone who has taken part in some of the things he has even if he isn’t going to jail isn’t something they want to center their organization around.