And that tweet from Adam Schefter is why I will never quit social media. What a tantalizing bit of news to drop in 280 characters.
After a few weeks of idle speculation, ESPN's insider confirmed that Deshaun Watson was viewed as likely to being traded within his own organization.
A player of Watson's age, star power, resume and potential has never been traded in the NFL.
Before we get to the juicy trade rumors of packages, players and quarterbacks galore we need to stop and consider the ramifications of what an actual trade of Watson would mean for the NFL.
Player empowerment has become a buzzword in the NBA. NBA stars are traded annually with the regularity of celebrating holidays. Its a sport where fiver teammates take the floor and one superstar can immediately transform a team into a champion.
In the NFL, a quarterback has the star power of an NBA icon but has a completely different role. A QB, right or wrong, is supposed to weather the storms, is expected to lead by example and is counted on to charge from the front. Beyond that, a QB is really the anchor of the organization to the entire fan base. Entire generations of fans have grown up with QB's married to teams and all that comes with a marriage.
If Watson successfully uses his immense leverage to force a trade, it would likely lead to others following his lead.
Some have made the argument that this is just a very specific sequence of events that has lead Deshaun Watson to press the nuke button. And that is currently true. But as time passed, the context of the trade would be stripped away and all we would be left with is the precedent of a QB forcing a trade when he was unhappy.
I don't begrudge Watson's position. Anyone that has worked for a dysfunctional company or ever worked for a bad boss understands the soul crushing frustration that can produce on a daily basis.
The blame for this trade, if it happens, should rest solely on the Texans ownership and not Watson.
But once this toothpaste is out of tube, its never going back in.
While I'm not saying it would immediately, directly lead to an avalanche of trade requests, it would certainly lead to copycat trades at some point in the future.
And maybe this is the way it should be. Instead of allowing incompetent ownership to operate with impunity, maybe its a natural course correction for players to not be content wasting years of their career with decision makers that sabotage their ability to win.
Owners and GM's already have franchise tags, transition tags, the salary cap, non-guaranteed contracts and more to help deflate the market, maybe this finally gives a star player the ability to counter attack.
No matter your perspective, the real losers will be fans. The one jersey you could comfortably buy and hang on to indefinitely was the quarterbacks. If Watson gets dealt, its possible quarterbacks changing teams becomes as common as any other star player in the league.
The NFL is about the change forever and whether thats a good thing or not depends on what happens with your favorite team, assuming you're still rooting for a team and not a player, that is.