After an embarrassing Super Bowl loss to end the campaign, the Kansas City Chiefs could trade cornerback Jaylen Watson either before or during the season. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport believes Watson is the Chiefs’ top trade candidate, even though they don’t have many of them, but Watson is entering a contract year, so anything can happen during the season as far as sending him to another team to get some draft capital in return. This trade would be sensible in a way since they need to make room to extend Trent McDuffie, who isn’t due for another contract two years from now. The Chiefs probably shouldn’t commit to Watson, as they have solid depth in their secondary, especially with the signing of Kristian Fulton during free agency.
Unless Fulton is a short-term investment, no one should expect the Chiefs to pay three cornerbacks on massive deals. After getting Fulton and with McDuffie getting a lot of praise, the pressure will be on Watson to step up this upcoming 2025 campaign. Originally selected in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the former Washington State product broke his leg during the 2024 season after becoming the No. 2 starter alongside McDuffie. Even though it’s one injury, the Chiefs may consider that when determining his new deal, if it’s even on the table.
However, they’ll likely keep him on a reduced contract, but these next four teams could give him a better deal if he has a breakout year similar to what McDuffie had last season.
Report: Could Chiefs Trade Two-Time Super Bowl Champion Jaylen Watson? – 4 Possible Suitors
Potential Destinations
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are in dire need of a capable cornerback who can help Kool-Aid McKinstry destroy the opposing offense’s aerial attack. It’s hard to see Alontae Taylor taking on that starting role, and Watson would be an immediate upgrade for this secondary. When you have an offense that’s going to be rebuilt, it’s smart to invest as much as you can in the defense to give the Saints a fighting chance, and Watson could reunite with Justin Reid to provide just that in New Orleans.
Carolina Panthers
Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have two solid starting cornerbacks in Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson. No one will take their job, but Watson could be in the background while the Panthers don’t rush him to be in the starting slot. Watson performs better when given backup duties, and with a promising roster coming together, the cornerback could shed some light finally after the Panthers had one of the worst pass secondaries last year.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders were close to a Super Bowl in their first winning season in a while. Even though they have new free agent signee Jonathan Jones in the mix and Marshon Lattimore returning, they could use some firepower from Watson to create an explosive unit. Being that the NFC East is competitive, Watson may have the spirit to turn this pass secondary from good to powerful.
Dallas Cowboys
However, the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of question marks in their secondary unit. DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs were supposed to be their long-term starting cornerbacks, but due to injuries, both of them are on the hot seat. While they drafted Shavon Revel Jr. and signed Kaiir Elam, it feels like these are just temporary players. Watson could provide some long-term stability and make Dallas have one of the most dangerous units in today’s game.
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