Opportunities come few and far between in life. When it arrives, it’s time to seize it.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson wants to move on, and the Jets provide the perfect package to acquire him and get him out of his misery. They also would provide the Texans new management team a chance to start anew with a new quarterback by accepting their No. 2 pick.
The Jets need to do whatever it takes to get one of the best players to play at his position. Whatever the Texans want, the Jets should do it. There should be no hurdles to get a player that is a difference-maker. If it means giving up so many draft picks, so be it.
Proven players beat potential players anytime and anywhere.
The Jets searched for a quarterback to replace Joe Namath for decades now. They tried everything whether it’s drafting and developing a quarterback or trading for a stopgap quarterback with no success. They could solve that riddle once in for all by acquiring Watson.
Watson put on another great season by throwing 33 touchdowns and 4,832 yards this season. He completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 14,539 yards, 104 touchdowns and 36 interceptions through 54 regular-season games with a playoff win and three playoff appearances to show for it.
The Texans did not win much with him, but it wasn’t his fault. They were saddled with injuries and a lack of talent. He can only do so much. Now the Jets are no better than the Houston Texans in that situation, but nevertheless, they should still make the trade. Quarterbacks like him are hard to come by as the Jets knew the hard way. It’s on Jets general manager Joe Douglas to provide playmakers for Watson to work with, and the Jets have money to do that in free agency. Can anyone say JuJu Smith-Schuster?
Longtime Houston Chronicle NFL writer John McClain reported on Twitter that any team that wants Watson has to give up two first-round draft picks, two second-round selections and two young starters. He even suggested the Jets as the favorites.
The Jets are in the driver’s seat because they assembled so many draft picks, especially from the Jamal Adams trade. Their No. 2 pick entices the Texans. They could give up Quinnen Williams, a defensive player the Texans can build around.
Nothing should stop the Jets here. If they believe Watson transforms the franchise, they make the trade and not think twice.
It should be a no-brainer. The Jets have no idea how to develop a quarterback, and for first-year Jets head coach Robert Saleh to do well, he needs a quarterback that knows what he is doing.
It’s been 10 seasons since the Jets made the playoffs. That’s unacceptable for an NFL franchise in a parity-filled league, especially in a New York market. The Jets endured five straight losing seasons. This franchise experienced apathy from its fanbase in recent years.
The Jets can’t have a quarterback learn on the job again. The fans don’t want to go through this again after watching Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and Sam Darnold. Playing in New York would not be conducive to a young quarterback’s success and growth, so it makes sense for the Jets to trade the No. 2 pick and let the quarterback’s growing pains be the Texans’ problem.
Douglas and Saleh know it’s not feasible to have Darnold back after a horrible season. Despite giving their beleaguered quarterback a vote of confidence, they know he needs a change of scenery. If he had a truth serum stuck on him, he would admit going elsewhere would benefit him than play another year with the Jets.
For the Jets to be an AFC East contender and a Super Bowl contender, Watson gives them the best chance to reach the goal. He could be the second-best quarterback in the league in a few years when Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady hang it up. It’s no wonder why the Texans want a haul, and rightfully so.
The Jets can’t think about the consequences of what they give up. The future is now. They need to go for it right here. If not now, when? They can do much worse than getting him.
This is not an easy decision to make from a general manager’s perspective. Draft picks proved to be a commodity and the heart of a team. But the Jets failed to develop players in a decade. They never get it right with the picks. Does anyone really trust Douglas to get it right in the draft?
The Jets might as well go big. If they strike out, at least they tried. It’s better than doing nothing.
