The Watson Thread - Part Deux

[Cary Kollins]

7 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Forget the off-field stuff. Forget the will we or won't we stuff.

Real talk... is Watson actually good enough to warrant the type of trade bounty that we're talking about? He's had one great year when his team went 4-12. When the Texans we're actually competitive he was basically being used on a high level game manager type of role. We've never seen Watson in a situation where he's being asked to play like an MVP level QB on a competitive team, yet we're falling all over ourselves to gut the franchise to get him.

Is this actually a smart bet from a pure football perspective?

I'm not trying to argue that Watson isn't good. He's damn good. But is he top 5 NFL QB good? Nothing I've seen from him makes me confident in saying that. Not with guys like Brady, Rodgers, Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, Burrow, Wilson, etc., etc. out there. I think you're gutting the franchise for likely the 7th or 8th best QB in the league. Yikes.

The thinking is even a top 8 QB gives you a shot at winning the super bowl every year. The opportunity to land a 26 year old proven NFL QB just doesn’t happen very often, hence the bounty. The good news is the trades would be “paid off” by the time Watson is 29, and you’d think he’d have another 5-7 years left in him at least. Ultimately Tepper wants a super bowl more than anything, and he isn’t a patient dude lol. Maybe I’m just an optimist but I’m ready to roll with Watson if it works out, and if he goes to the Saints, well good luck to them giving up that bounty.

[joemac]

1 minute ago, McLovin said:

What?

And Houston's record with him as a starter prior to 2020 was 3-3, 11-5, 10-5.

8.9 YARDS PER ATTEMPT

70% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE

4823 YARDS

!!!!!!

[NCTHFL0567]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

Lol. You don't think Warson had talent around him? Might want to check those players he was throwing to.

Stafford and Wilson have had talent to throw to as well, so Watson doesn't get an advantage there. 

I am not even saying he isn't an elite QB, I'm saying this rumored price is off. He isn't worth that. 

Yeah well. Dave Gettlemen thought Joe Thomas wasn't worth trading our first round pick for. And that got Cam mutilated in the Super Bowl. I'm exhausted of thinking first rounders are some GOAT level player we pick every year, and can't be touched. 

[HPPantherzfan]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

Lol. You don't think Warson had talent around him? Might want to check those players he was throwing to.

Stafford and Wilson have had talent to throw to as well, so Watson doesn't get an advantage there. 

I am not even saying he isn't an elite QB, I'm saying this rumored price is off. He isn't worth that. 

I'm honestly on the fence with Watson coming here, it was a hard no for me before he was cleared now I'm open to it so to your question, is a franchise QB with 8 to 10 years of top QB play worth the rumored asking price?  I think if you ask any team in the league they would say yes, look at the teams trying to get him?  The most important position on the field also happens to be the hardest position to actually hit on.  Lock that up long term and you have something to build your team around even if it takes you a year or two to do so but, with that said, looking at the signings we've had already I don't think we are waiting.  The asking price is high, I agree, to high?  No.

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, NCTHFL0567 said:

Yeah well. Dave Gettlemen thought Joe Thomas wasn't worth trading our first round pick for. And that got Cam mutilated in the Super Bowl. I'm exhausted of thinking first rounders are some GOAT level player we pick every year, and can't be touched. 

IF what is being reported is accurate, I believe this would be the largest sum ever traded for a player in the NFL. That's the question. Is he worth that?

Given what Stafford and Wilson went for....I don't think so.

[frankw]

Just now, Cary Kollins said:

The thinking is even a top 8 QB gives you a shot at winning the super bowl every year. The opportunity to land a 26 year old proven NFL QB just doesn’t happen very often, hence the bounty. The good news is the trades would be “paid off” by the time Watson is 29, and you’d think he’d have another 5-7 years left in him at least. Ultimately Tepper wants a super bowl more than anything, and he isn’t a patient dude lol. Maybe I’m just an optimist but I’m ready to roll with Watson if it works out, and if he goes to the Saints, well good luck to them giving up that bounty.

If you want Watson to play until his mid thirties he won't be running with the ball in his hands and we gotta protect him. There's definitely some Debbie Downer takes in here but this is the main aspect where we must be honest with ourselves after Cam. And truth be told Tom Brady playing into his mid forties has kinda given way to some unrealistic expectations.

[TheBiggerCat]

When Watson goes to the Browns will David Tepper rage fire Matt Rhule? That is the real question.

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, HPPantherzfan said:

I'm honestly on the fence with Watson coming here, it was a hard no for me before he was cleared now I'm open to it so to your question, is a franchise QB with 8 to 10 years of top QB play worth the rumored asking price?  I think if you ask any team in the league they would say yes, look at the teams trying to get him?  The most important position on the field also happens to be the hardest position to actually hit on.  Lock that up long term and you have something to build your team around even if it takes you a year or two to do so but, with that said, looking at the signings we've had already I don't think we are waiting.  The asking price is high, I agree, to high?  No.

Well take that 8-10. Three of those 8-10 years you are stripped of the ability to add cheap and quality talent in the draft. So that puts you behind the 8 ball immediately. 

And that isn't even taking into account the fact that we might give up core talent, of which there are only 3-6 players on the entire roster that can be considered that. So stripping us of talent hurts even more.

We aren't like the Saints and loaded with talent all over the field to the point we can recover. Stripping talent away and without draft picks means we just aren't a talented team and perhaps for a long time.

Listen, if this was 2017 or 2018, I'd be all over this deal but it isn't. We are a bottom five talented team in the NFL so giving up a bunch of draft picks or talent makes our march to the top incredibly difficult for a while.

[PNW_PantherMan]

2 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

IF what is being reported is accurate, I believe this would be the largest sum ever traded for a player in the NFL. That's the question. Is he worth that?

Given what Stafford and Wilson went for....I don't think so.

Maybe he's not worth it.  Time will tell.  But QBs of his caliber and age do not hit the market ever.  Who's the last top tier QB that moved teams during the prime of his career?  Probably Drew Brees, and that was forever ago.  While that was FA, that changed the fortunes of New Orleans and Miami for over a decade.

[Verge]

Expect a decision today. If that wasn't obvious already.

[Cary Kollins]

 

Just now, Verge said:

Expect a decision today. If that wasn't obvious already.

[BurnNChinn]

1 minute ago, Verge said:

Expect a decision today. If that wasn't obvious already.

Really it says he’s not meeting with Browns till 5?  Are Panthers still front runners?

[Cary Kollins]

5 minutes ago, frankw said:

If you want Watson to play until his mid thirties he won't be running with the ball in his hands and we gotta protect him. There's definitely some Debbie Downer takes in here but this is the main aspect where we must be honest with ourselves after Cam. And truth be told Tom Brady playing into his mid forties has kinda given way to some unrealistic expectations.

Agree he has to be protected. Hopefully this FO realizes that and invests in their franchise QB unlike how Cam was treated the majority of his prime. 

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

Maybe he's not worth it.  Time will tell.  But QBs of his caliber and age do not hit the market ever.  Who's the last top tier QB that moved teams during the prime of his career?  Probably Drew Brees, and that was forever ago.  While that was FA, that changed the fortunes of New Orleans and Miami for over a decade.

And Brees was also coming off of an injury so severe that the majority of the NFl were unsure he would ever play again, so that isn't really even the same scenario.

It's unprecedented but the price is steep. I believe the prices for Stafford and Wilson should be the benchmarks though. I don't see logic behind paying drastically more.