There is no shortage of teams interested in acquiring Watson, but the Panthers might be the most desperate. While teams like the Dolphins and 49ers have pursued other options in the free agent market, the Panthers remain “locked” on Watson only. The Athletic’s Joseph Person reports that Watson appears to be “Plan A, B, and C” for the Panthers and owner David Tepper, and they have worked hard to open up nearly $30M in cap space in anticipation. Tepper adds that three first-round picks would be the likely starting point in any trade talks.
Of course, this strategy requires that the Texans actually making Watson available in a trade.