The quarterback carousel is starting to gain momentum. The Detroit Lions traded longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, a pair of first-round picks, and a third-round pick. Just recently, a trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts took place that exchanged quarterback Carson Wentz for a conditional second-round pick and a third-round pick.

These trades just reaffirmed the value of the most important position in sports. It took a starting-caliber quarterback in Goff, who was healthy for most of his career and a load of precious picks to get Stafford, who has one Pro Bowl to his name way back in 2014.

Stafford is not washed up by any stretch, but that was a steep price to pay for the Rams. The move was understandable for Los Angeles as the way their roster is constructed right now they need to go all-in before their title contention window shuts. With their top-ranked defense and pieces on offense, they feel they are a quarterback away from winning it all.

On the other hand, the Colts gave two picks to a man who just threw 16 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. Wentz was even benched for Jalen Hurts. With all due respect to Hurts, that's painful for someone, who at one point looked like an MVP. It must be noted that Wentz had productive seasons from 2017 to 2019.

While each of these players has had their moments—Matthew Stafford once threw for 41 touchdowns in a season, Jared Goff played in a Super Bowl, and Carson Wentz won a Super Bowl on the sidelines—none of them are nearly as valuable as Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. These transactions will drive up the price even more for Watson.

Patriots, Deshaun Watson

Initial trade talks involving Watson probably involved three first-round picks, but with the way the quarterback market is shaping up, the Texans might not entertain such discussions anymore. On top of the three picks, Houston might ask for two starters in premier positions, such as pass rusher and wide receiver.

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Texans owner Cal McNair

Benjamin Adducchio ·

While high draft picks are great, they will get you prospects, who regardless of their production in college might be busts. Having starters in the deal will help ensure that the bottom of the Texans' barrel doesn't all fall out. 

Regardless of who Houston trades with if at all, the idea seems to be that they will give up Watson for a high-end quarterback prospect. If they deal with the New York Jets, the second overall pick will go to the Texans, which they can use to select either Zach Wilson of BYU or Ohio State's Justin Fields. These are top players, who are a tier below Trevor Lawrence of Clemson. Speaking of Lawrence, even the Jacksonville Jaguars, who own the top pick are in rumors as possible players in the Watson sweepstakes. Dealing with the Dolphins means they will acquire young signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa.

Despite these expected costs, front offices would be wise to pull the trigger on trading for Watson, as opportunities like these come once in a blue moon.