Here's How Much Time You Should Spend Debating A Deshaun Watson Trade To Patriots

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Did you read the headline? Did you soak it all in? Just in case you didn't, I will repeat it right here.

Here's How Much Time You Should Spend Debating A Deshaun Watson Trade To Patriots

OK, got it now? Great, because here comes the answer:

None. No time. Zero seconds and zero minutes. Just don't bother.

All right, then. That'll just about do it, right? All right!

OK, perhaps some more is needed. Fine.

In case you missed it, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio wrote Thursday morning that "rumors already are circulating, and we've already heard them from multiple different people, that Watson has quietly broached with teammates the possibility of requesting a trade." Florio touched on potential unhappiness from Watson regarding the direction of the franchise, which fired head coach/GM Bill O'Brien during the season and just hired former Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio to be the new GM.

Florio suggested that the Texans' eventual choice for head coach could be the final straw for Watson, if he doesn't approve.

"As the Texans decide on their next coach," Florio wrote, "keep an eye on the possibility that Watson will respond by making it known privately, and possibly publicly, that he's ready to move on and move out."

To be honest, that's more of a hot mid-February story. Tossing it out days before the postseason kicks off seems premature. Nevertheless, that is that.

And naturally, because the Patriots set NFL offenses back several decades during the past season with Cam Newton, local minds pounced quickly: THE PATRIOTS MUST GET DESHAUN WATSON.

Obviously, yeah, the Patriots would be wise to give up 10 draft picks and potentially the rights to a Lombardi Trophy or two in exchange for one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, who's under contract through 2025. But creating an imaginary package and envisioning a scenario of Watson in New England would politely be considered an unproductive use of one's time.

We could explain why -- like how if Watson demands a trade, the idea of Caserio spinning a deal with his old boss and trying to sell that to his new boss and the entirety of the greater Houston area would be a slight challenge -- or we could just say this: The Patriots will not acquire Deshaun Watson in a trade. Any entertaining of any idea to the contrary is merely an exercise in fantasy. (Also, if Watson was upset by the hiring of a Patriots guy just after the firing of a former Patriots guy, then he probably wouldn't want out of Houston so that he could go to ... the Patriots.)

The bottom line is that Deshaun Watson rocks. He just led the league with over 4,800 passing yards, while slinging 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt, posting a 112.4 passer rating, and rushing for 444 yards and three touchdowns to boot.

Caserio is not a bozo, so he is likely aware that his franchise quarterback is good. He'll probably make it a priority not just to make Watson happy but also to build a team that allows the quarterback to flourish instead of wallowing away on a 4-12 football team. What Caserio probably won't prioritize is dialing up Bill Belichick and making the Patriots better, even if they offer their next six first-round picks.

So, yeah. Save the energy. Plant a tree. Read a book. Cook a delicious meal. Don't waste your time entertaining a Watson-to-the-Patriots scenario. Life is too precious to deliberately waste that kind of time.

In:
• Bill Belichick
• deshaun watson
• NFL
• New England Patriots
• Houston Texans