© Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Well, Matthew Stafford is off the market. It’s Deshaun Watson or bust, right? Not quite. At least, ESPN’s Adam Schefter doesn’t think that’s the case.
Schefter joined “The Murph and Mac Show” on Thursday and discussed the Stafford trade and all the quarterback rumors and potential movement still in store for the offseason. As far as Watson goes, he wasn’t too optimistic that a deal will be done, suggesting it’s a saga that will take weeks and months to play out. But, if you did trade for Watson, everything should be on the table.
“I don’t think there’s a price that’s too expensive to pay for a quarterback like Deshaun,” Schefter said. I would trade anybody for him. Anybody. There’d be nobody on the roster that’s safe… Houston is not budging. They’re not budging right now. We’ll see if they decide to change their stance.”
But the notion of Watson or bust didn’t sit well with Schefter, who rattled off a list of names that the 49ers could potentially look at.
“I wouldn’t say that. Deshaun or nobody? There’s a lot of quarterbacks out there,” Schefter said. “Those Kirk Cousins rumors, I’ve never heard anything to them, but who knows? What about Sam Darnold in New York? How about him? I think the Jets could wind up dealing him. What about Carson Wentz in Philadelphia?
If you’re groaning at Wentz, that’s understandable. But someone’s going to make that move. Schefter said he thinks “there will be action” and “the Eagles will trade him.”
He continued with a handful of intriguing names.
“What about what about Andy Dalton? What about Tyrod Taylor, a guy who’s never gotten his chance? There are so many quarterbacks,” Schefter said. “It’s a weird offseason with the quarterbacks. Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers. What about Dak Prescott?”
That last name was one that popped out. The assumption around the league has generally been that the Dallas Cowboys will franchise tag Dak Prescott once again, and he won’t actually hit the open market.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano said this week that he expects the Cowboys to franchise tag Prescott for a second-straight year if they can’t get a long-term deal done, at a cost of around $37 million.
But Schefter seemed uncertain about that.
“They could franchise him at $37.1 million, in a year where the cap is down,” Schefter said. “And after, he can walk. They’ll try to sign him to a long-term deal, but they’ve been trying to do that now for the better part of two years and nothing’s been done. So what if, what if you’re a team like the Niners, any other team out there that has a need for a quarterback, and you make a run at Dak Prescott.
“Again, is it a long shot? Yes, it is a long shot. Absolutely. Is he a free agent? Yes he is. Is there the recipe for something to try to make happen? Well, there’s a path there of some sort.”
Some names that aren’t moving to Santa Clara? Matt Ryan, whose $44 million dead cap hit if traded is “too prohibitive.” Schefter also poured cold water on Ryan Fitzpatrick and said he wasn’t sure how the 49ers felt about Jameis Winston. What’s clear, though, is that he believed there are still options on the market for the 49ers.
Listen to the full podcast below: