re: Aaron Wilson says “Saints emerging as leader” for Watson.

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Source: Deshaun Watson set to meet Monday night with Panthers, Saints, Texans have to sign off on any trade parameters
Texans gave Deshaun Watson permission to speak to the Panthers, Saints, and more. Yet, Houston needs to sign off on any trade parameters.

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The Texans still want a package of three first-round draft picks, other draft capital and players in exchange for Watson. One player that sources predict would be part of a potential Saints trade is offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. Offensive guard Cesar Ruiz is another player that sources predict could be part of a trade.

Defensive end Marcus Davenport, defensive tackle David Onyemata, and center Erik McCoy are other logical players that bear watching in a potential trade, sources said.

Because the Saints’ first-round draft pick in 2022 is 18th overall, the Texans would want that selection along with 2023 and 2024 first-round picks in addition to second-round selections.

Although the Saints have salary cap issues, Loomis and vice president of football administration Khai Hartley have been diligently working to restructure contracts to get New Orleans under the NFL salary-cap limit of $208.2 million. That includes reworking cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s deal. They are roughly $6.3 million over the cap currently but have always been good at managing the salary cap.

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And the Saints have emerged as an extremely serious contender for the Texans’ three-time Pro Bowl passer, having submitted contract proposals for Watson as they compete with the Carolina Panthers, another team that has made trade offers for him, the Seattle Seahawks, and other NFL teams to try to land the NFL’s passing yardage leader from two seasons ago, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is determined to land Watson and is prepared to make aggressive, roster-shaking moves to pull this off, according to league sources.

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