As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Media took a look at the other NFC squads and spotlighted one potential move for each that would allow the team to catch up to or even surpass the Bucs next season. What would it take for head coach Kyle Shanahan and his San Francisco 49ers to make their second Super Bowl appearance in three years?
Surprise, surprise. The answer was Deshaun Watson.
Watson was Rosenthal's answer for two other NFC squads, too — the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears. But there is no doubt that the 49ers might be the team to leap to the top of the NFC power rankings with Watson at the helm of Shanahan's offense. Rosenthal feels the 49ers should be the quarterback's top choice in the NFC if he can force a trade from the Texans.
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"Watson and Kyle Shanahan would make beautiful music together," wrote Rosenthal. "The roster, with young wideouts Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and a talented defense, is ready to win a title now."
It's worth noting that while Watson has made it clear he has no desire to play another snap in Houston, the Texans have made it clear that they have no intention of parting with their star quarterback. It might take some serious enticing for members of the Texans brass to deviate from that stance.
"The 49ers have shown they aren't afraid to take big swings in trades or free agency," Rosenthal continued. "While they don't have a high pick this year (No. 12), they do have a quarterback that Texans GM Nick Caserio knows well in Jimmy Garoppolo and some veteran players they could include in the deal along with picks."
Watson has missed just one game over the past three years, and this past season led the league with 4,823 passing yards while throwing 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
