Giants Co-Owner John Mara Says Team Won't Trade for Deshaun Watson This Offseason
January 26, 2022
The Houston Texans will try to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson this offseason, but he won't end up with the New York Giants.
"We're not trading for Deshaun Watson," Giants owner John Mara told reporters Wednesday.
Watson asked for a trade out of Houston last offseason, and he sat out all of 2021 after 22 women filed lawsuits accusing the 26-year-old of sexual assault or misconduct. The Texans reportedly plan to move the three-time Pro Bowl before the start of the league year on March 16, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Mara added "there's so many reasons" why New York won't be trading for Watson, saying that the allegations are a factor as well as the team's current salary cap situation.
The Giants could have been a fit as they try to shake things up following five straight losing seasons, but it's clear they will look to improve in other ways.
Though the Giants still must hire a head coach, the front office appears content with Daniel Jones at quarterback.
Speaking at his introductory press conference Wednesday, new general manager Joe Schoen indicated Jones is still part of the team's plans.
"The kid has physical ability," Schoen told reporters. "We'll build an offense to accentuate what Daniel does best."
Injuries limited Jones to just 11 games in 2021, although he continued to struggle with just 10 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. It came after he threw only 11 touchdown passes across 14 games in 2020.
The 2019 No. 6 overall draft pick has only an 84.3 quarterback rating across three seasons.
Watson had 33 passing touchdowns when he last played in 2020, producing a 104.5 career passer rating in his four seasons.
New York will still avoid the trade, instead hoping the change at head coach will be enough to turn things around for an offense that finished 31st in the NFL in both points scored and total yards.