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- Deshaun Watson continues to meet with teams as he looks for a new home in 2022
- One NFC South team has been removed from consideration
- Read more NFL news here
The Deshaun Watson sweepstakes continue to heat up.
The Houston QB has been meeting with a number of teams throughout the week as he tries to find a new landing spot for the upcoming season. Those teams include the Saints, Falcons, Panthers, and Browns.
On Thursday morning, though, one of those teams was eliminated from contention.
Cleveland was crossed off the list, which might make things a bit awkward the Browns and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. The organization created a bit of a rift with their signal caller by trying to negotiate a deal with the Texans.
With the Browns out, the race for Deshaun Watson came down to three rivals from the NFC South.
Thursday afternoon, however, Watson and the Texans scratched another name off the list.
Both the #Panthers and #Browns are out on Deshaun Watson.
It's coming down to #Saints [favorite] vs the #Falcons
One way or another, Watson will play the team he doesn't pick at least twice next season. pic.twitter.com/yuuPgcGpWt
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 17, 2022
The Carolina Panthers are now out of the running after looking to be a favorite over the first half of the week.
The race is now down to two, the Saints and the Falcons. Folks in New Orleans are thinking they’ve got this one wrapped up.
Saints Fans Ecstatic With Most Recent Deshaun Watson News
With the Saints and Falcons the only two teams left in the bidding, it seems an inevitability that Watson will land in the Big Easy.
The Falcons, while interested, still have Matt Ryan on the roster. They emerged as a sleeper late this week, but they may not have the capabilities of pulling this one off.
As a result, many believe that Watson to New Orleans is a done deal.
Deshaun Watson heading to New Orleans? 👀
Saints' Super Bowl odds @PointsBetUSA have moved from 50-1 to 20-1 over the past hour 📉 pic.twitter.com/el0GQ12TcE
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 16, 2022
There is still no Matt Ryan contract restructure in Atlanta, nor any agreement on one.
And the Saints can almost already afford Deshaun Watson if the quarterback wanted to go to New Orleans. https://t.co/GpMeIfki4k
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2022
The #Saints have been the favorite from the start. Now, an all-out blitz to try to close it out … and keep Watson from their NFC South rivals. https://t.co/tf75AjH6kO
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 17, 2022
#Saints remain the favorite, in my opinion and based on the intel that's available.
I *think* that's where Watson most wants to land. https://t.co/qjiGM2rGLm
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 17, 2022
Saints are now in range of having the cap space needed to acquire Deshaun Watson. The last five million could get chopped down by trading players back to Houston. Could also throw in a draft pick to get the Texans to eat salary.
Acquiring Watson is now financially feasible. https://t.co/ldJrmOhnX6
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/BigJigglyPanda/status/1504496156658786311
Just wait until the Saints find cap space to trade for Watson and sign Julio Jones and Allen Robinson.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) March 17, 2022
We should find out soon where Watson lands.