Even though he hasn't played in months, everybody around the National Football League continues to talk about Deshaun Watson.
The Clemson product is one of the most impactful dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, and his desire to leave the Houston Texans hasn't changed despite his legal turmoil.
That's why the franchise is likely to face the fact that he won't suit up for them anymore and they'll be forced to deal him in the offseason. Unsurprisingly, he'll have plenty of suitors lining up.
Most people expected the Miami Dolphins to be the most aggressive suitor for Watson's services and reports state that he would only consider vetoing his no-trade clause for them.
Nonetheless, with the Dolphins shockingly firing HC Brian Flores a couple of days ago, they might as well have kissed those chances goodbye, as Watson was reportedly only interested in playing at Hard Rock Cafe Stadium because of Flores.
With that in mind, let's take a look at three potential dark horse destinations for him.
After the loss of her father and a less than shiny 2020-21 season, Mikaela Shiffrin is gearing up for a six-event Olympics this year.
The Washington Football Team will unveil a new name pretty soon but the same issues of the past will still be there next season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is... Ryan Fitzpatrick. Taylor Heinicke is nothing more than a backup QB at this point.
Washington's defense is promising enough for them to be a contender in one of football's worst divisions, and having Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson next to Watson could certainly revamp their offense. Also, when asked about landing Watson, coach Ron Rivera didn't exactly shy away:
“This organization will be able to do what it needs to do, OK? And that’s all I’m going to say on that," Rivera said, as quoted by MSN.
We've already established that Watson wanted to play for Brian Flores, and Flores is now one of the leading candidates to coach the Minnesota Vikings, so there's that.
The Vikings have Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook, the best trio of weapons Watson could find in any of his suitors.
Moreover, the Vikings would be wise to try and trade Kirk Cousins when he enters the final year of his massive contract and they would get a huge upgrade at QB while also landing a younger player.
And last but not least, let's talk about the Detroit Lions.
Watson was recently spotted in Detroit to attend a medical marijuana event and, even though it had nothing to do, there was a huge frenzy on social media, with Lions fans rallying up to give him a warm welcome.
I know, why would Watson veto his no-trade clause to join the Lions of all teams?
Well, they have the ultimate players' coach in Dan Campbell and the locker room seems heavily invested in him and his project.
Their defense has shown glimpses of promise and they have two electric playmakers in Amon Ra-St Brown and D'Andre Swift, not to mention plenty of cap space and draft assets to put together a solid team.
It's a huge stretch but we've seen crazier things happen.
