This is getting embarrassing. The New Orleans Saints have been in around-the-clock communication with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson for a week now, flying their leadership team of executives, coaches, and ownership out of town to meet with him in multiple cities and try to sell Watson on waiving his no-trade clause to come to New Orleans.
And he’s responded by putting the Saints, the Atlanta Falcons, every other team in pursuit of him, and all the major free agents each of those teams are negotiating with on hold so he can spend a few more days thinking about it, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Falcons have reached an agreement with franchise quarterback Matt Ryan to push his $7.5 million roster bonus back four days to buy more time for Watson to mull it over, with Ryan to be traded to another team if Watson picks them instead of New Orleans.
There’s a lot to be said for being decisive, even for a major life decision about which city you want to go earn $150 million playing football in for the next four years. But it’s not like Watson woke up from an afternoon nap and had to make this call. He’s been out of football for a year after first demanded the Texans trade him. He’s had a week of the Saints, the Falcons, and every other team involved debasing themselves to try and win him over.
If he’s so unsure about whether New Orleans is right for him, the Saints need to take that decision out of his hands and move on. Mickey Loomis has spent two decades cultivating a reputation as a shrewd negotiator, never budging on his offered contracts with All-Pro players like Carl Nicks, and choosing to get up and leave the bargaining table if things reach an impasse. He’s undoing all of that by letting a 26-year-old with power issues shape the busiest week of his year.
Jameis Winston is drawing interest from other teams. So is Terron Armstead. The top of the wide receivers market is being whittled down, too. They won’t wait on Watson forever, and the Saints risk losing everything they need if this storyline lingers through the weekend and into next week. The more time Watson dithers the more quality free agents New Orleans will lose to other teams. Loomis may have pushed all his chips in on this move for Watson, but it’s time to step back and retake control of the situation.
At the end of the day Watson either wants to play for the Saints or he doesn’t. If he’s so uncertain this deep into the process, New Orleans can’t bet everything on him choosing them in the end. They’re getting played like a fiddle while he’s, I don’t know, ignoring his text messages and playing FIFA on his couch, probably enjoying the attention of so many wealthy and influential people vying for his thumbs-up emoji.
At best, it’s poor optics for the Saints. At worst, it’s humiliating. How much longer are they going to let him dictate the narrative? Do they really want to end up like the Carolina Panthers, who invested roughly 400 days in courting Watson only to be cast aside? At a moment with stakes this high, the Saints can’t afford to be idle much longer.
