The NFL’s legal tampering window is now open, permitting representatives to negotiate with teams on behalf of free agents. The Seattle Seahawks enter this 2022 free agency period with multiple roster holes on both sides of the ball, most notably at the quarterback position after having agreed to trade Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
The No. 1 option from a pure football-decision point of view is Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson, who sat out the 2021 season due to legal issues. On Friday that problem was resolved and Watson will not face any criminal charges stemming from the dozens of sexual misconduct allegations that have been reported.
Seattle is supposed to be interested in Watson, but as of yet they haven’t made a formal trade offer to Houston – unlike the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints. Aaron Wilson at Pro Football Network has the details:
“And the New Orleans Saints have emerged as an extremely serious contender for the Texans’ three-time Pro Bowl passer, having submitted contract proposals for Watson as they compete with the Carolina Panthers, another team that has made trade offers for him, the Seattle Seahawks, a team with intriguing draft capital and players after the Russell Wilson trade that hasn’t made a formal offer, and other NFL teams to try to land the NFL’s passing yardage leader from two seasons ago, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.”
Watson has a no-trade clause is set to meet with Carolina and New Orleans over the next couple of days.
Watson is an exceptional talent at QB but trading for him would almost certainly alienate a large number of Seahawks fans.
