National Football League

Houston Texans trade speculation: Would Deshaun Watson for Kyler Murray work?

Updated Mar. 8, 2021 5:28 p.m. ET

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The trio could be back together again.

On Monday, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle suggested a potential Deshaun Watson-for-Kyler Murray trade.

The Houston Texans would swap one franchise quarterback for another, and Watson would be reunited with DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt with the Arizona Cardinals.

With two former Texans now wearing red and white in Arizona, could the franchise add Houston's star signal-caller, too?

Skip Bayless is fully on board with the idea, thinking it would be a smart move for both sides.

"I love the concept ... yes, the Texans would get an exciting quarterback back. One who is reasonably proven ... He's viable. He can work in this league. ... He's just not Deshaun, and he's never going to quite be Deshaun. At his best, he will never be at Deshaun’s best."

Houston went 4-12 last season and likely wouldn't have as many wins without Watson lining up under center. The 25-year-old led the league in passing yards (4,823) and yards per attempt (8.9) en route to breaking Matt Schaub's single-season franchise passing touchdown record (33).

In addition, Watson ranked top-three in completion percentage (70.2), yards per game (301.4) and passer rating (112.4) – all without his favorite weapon, D-Hop. Watson added 444 yards on the ground for three additional touchdowns.

Size matters in the NFL, and Watson is 6-foot-2, 4 inches taller than Murray.

Despite all that, Colin Cowherd doesn't believe it would be a smart trade, as Murray, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 class, has shown flashes of superstardom and has too much promise.

"I would not trade Kyler Murray for Deshaun Watson," Cowherd said. "When I got a kid that good, and I still don't know the ceiling. ... Former baseball player, slides well, never gets hit, absolutely throws a better pure football than Deshaun."

In two seasons, Murray has continued to improve, showing off his dual-threat ability.

He guided Arizona to a .500 record for the first time since 2017 while tossing for 3,971 yards and 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions last season. He finished with a 94.3 passer rating.

Not to mention, Murray racked up the second-most rushing yards (819) and touchdowns on the ground (11) among quarterbacks in 2020.

With his arm and legs, Murray led an offense that ranked top-10 in yards per game (384.6) and rushing yards per game (139.8).

There's another wrinkle, as money could be an issue. The Cardinals would be giving up Murray and the two years left on his rookie deal, which costs a little under $6 million annually. By contrast, Watson's contract pays out $10.54 million this year and $35 million in 2022.

Meanwhile, Arizona has a little more than $12.5 million in cap space heading into 2021, and this doesn't take into account if the franchise would need to give up draft picks to sweeten the deal.

It's a long shot, and FOX Bet doesn't currently have odds listed for Arizona as a possible trade destination for Watson.

But stranger things have happened in the NFL.

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National Football League

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

Deshaun Watson

Kyler Murray

J.J. Watt

DeAndre Hopkins