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Watson rumors heat up, and it appears at least one Dolphins player would welcome him

The relationship between Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans seems to be at a breaking point.

“There is a growing sense from people in and around the Texans’ organization that Deshaun Watson has played his last snap for the team,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Twitter Sunday. “It’s early in the off-season, there’s a lot of time left, but Watson’s feelings cannot and should not be underestimated.”

That revelation came just two days after Watson hinted at his frustration with Texans owner Cal McNair, team executive Jack Easterby and the organization’s general dysfunction on social media.

“I was on 2 then I took it to 10,” Watson said, suggesting he couldn’t be more fed up with the dynamic in Houston.

An important caveat: This might just be posturing. It’s still very early in the offseason, and Watson can’t even been officially traded for two more months.

But the coordinated messaging campaign, particularly on ESPN, is not a coincidence. Watson hasn’t yet asked for a trade, Pro Football Talk reported Sunday morning. At least not yet.

But at this point, that request seems to be inevitable.

And that’s when the Dolphins could (and probably should) spring into action.

Watson is a franchise-changing player. He led the league in passing in 2020 with a bad supporting cast, and is easily one of the 10 best players in football, regardless of position.

And while the Dolphins’ publicly stated plan two weeks ago was to build around Tua Tagovailoa in 2021, the sense around the league is they would at least call about Watson, if he became available in a trade.

Schefter’s colleague at ESPN, Chris Mortensen, went a step further Sunday.

After Schefter pointed out on social media that the Jets could offer more than anyone to the Texans in a trade — the No. 2 pick and Sam Darnold, among other assets — Mortensen replied:

“Uh, Watson has no-trade clause, so controls destination. Did I miss something, like no state taxes anymore in New Jersey? Rolling on the floor laughing. Florida no state taxes. Dolphins already playoff-caliber team with 10-win season and happen to own No. 3 pick overall, courtesy of the Texans. Just sayin’.”

It’s not hard to see the Watson Derby coming down to bidding war between the Jets and Dolphins — and it’s one the Dolphins would likely need to win. They’re already behind Josh Allen and the Bills in the AFC East. They can’t afford another division rival to land an elite quarterback.

But don’t take our word for it.

Ask Dolphins linebacker Vince Biegel, who made his preference for Watson known on Twitter before deleting an eye-opening post.

He retweeted a photoshopped image of Watson in a Dolphins uniform and added an approving gif of Jack Nicholson nodding “yes” — a meme lifted from the Adam Sandler movie “Anger Management.”