Deshaun Watson has surprise second meeting with NFC South contender

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson looks poised to waive his no-trade clause after having a second meeting with the New Orleans Saints. Watson’s second meeting went down on Wednesday night, according to Saints reporter Nick Underhill.

Former Texans reporter Aaron Wilson, who’s been on top of Watson’s moves since the start of his legal battles, also reports that the Saints are “working hard” on him. The former Clemson star has had meetings with the Saints, Browns, Panthers and Falcons.

“Saints are working hard to convince Deshaun Watson to waive his no-trade clause for them, per league sources,” Wilson shared on Thursday. “Decision is expected to ultimately come down to Saints vs. Falcons. Saints have been characterized as a leader for Watson. Maintained dialogue since first meeting.”

On Thursday, the Saints also restructured several deals to open more cap space – another telling move for New Orleans.

The Saints restructured the contracts of quarterback Taysom Hill, corner Bradley Roby, linebacker DeMario Davis and safety Malcolm Jenkins, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The Saints now have $29.9 million in cap space, which they could use to lock up Deshaun Watson.

While the Falcons have a large question mark looming in the shape of Matt Ryan, the Saints appear to have a clear runway to land the deal with Watson.

In his final year as starter for the Texans in 2020, Watson posted 4,923 passing yards and 444 rushing yards. He had a 70% completion percentage, 36 total touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Texans put condition on teams to meet with Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans are serious about moving Deshaun Watson – and they’re only considering serious offers for him.

Following several meetings, ESPN’s Dianna Russini shared that the Texans required one condition from teams hoping for a meeting with the former starter. First, Houston wanted to see trade packages, then they’d green-light meetings.

“The first step for the Saints, Panthers, and Browns in arranging a meeting with QB Deshaun Watson was presenting a trade package to the Texans, per multiple league sources,” Russini tweeted. “Once Houston approved, only then did they meet.”

Given the progression over the week, the Texans have at least several favorable offers for their former star.