The disaster wake of pursuing Deshaun Watson is still growing for the Falcons. Arthur Smith, Terry Fontenot, and Arthur Blank have all taken their thrashings from the media. One reporter asked Fontenot whether he thought the Falcons were getting Watson. “There was never a time that we felt that we were going to have that player here,” Fontenot said, who refused to even name Watson.
When members of the media pushed Blank on the details of the organization’s interest level in Watson, the founder of Home Depot turned to the same damage control, downplaying the situation, saying the team spoke with Watson on a 75-minute phone call and that was it. If Watson had decided he wanted to play in Atlanta, “we would have done a lot more work” investigating the allegations. “But we did do work,” Blank said.
The reality is much different. We know how close the Falcons were to landing Watson, who corresponded with Leonard Fournette and Jarvis Landry over FaceTime about joining forces in Atlanta.
Here’s an illustration of how close the Falcons were to getting quarterback Deshaun Watson: Several sources say Watson corresponded with free agents Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette about playing together in Atlanta, very possibly over FaceTime. As of Thursday night, the feeling was Watson expected to go to Atlanta. And Atlanta thought it had Watson, who was considering the pass-catching weapons who could join him there — until Cleveland came with a deal that would be nearly impossible to refuse.
Moreover, reports surfaced that the Texans weren’t letting teams meet with Watson unless they had a trade proposal. So, we know there was an offer, and the Falcons were comfortable trading for Watson but lost out after Cleveland offered a record-breaking $230 million fully guaranteed contract.
I just have a hard time believing anything Fontenot or Blank have stated. They were close to a deal, and we know it. Want more proof? Watson posted a picture on his Instagram story of his Browns jerseys, but there was a new Falcons jersey in the background.
https://twitter.com/ESPNCleveland/status/1509984444823789573?s=20&t=IUFZKHMyrSnSi3P_KRzEAg
I mean… that has to be a joke, right? It is incomprehensible how poorly Watson and everyone involved in pursuing him have handled all of this. They continue to give fans and the media ammunition to hound the people responsible for this mess.
—
—
Be sure to check out the shop!
Check out the store for the new merch!https://t.co/KoDoTtSAbC pic.twitter.com/u3EtAkeH2H
— SportsTalkATL.com (@SportsTalkATL) April 4, 2022
You must log in to post a comment.