If you’re a football fan currently residing outside of New England, you’re most likely rejoicing at the fact that Tom Brady has elected to leave the Patriots this offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, effectively putting an end to the two-decade run of dominance. While Brady may be gone, the fellow mastermind of this dynasty, Bill Belichick, still is looming around Foxborough and things may be starting to line up where the hoodie could pull off one of the biggest deals in franchise history. 

So, if you’re in that group of non-Patriots fans, you may want to cover your eyes and sit this story out because we’re going to be talking about what appears to be the growing possibility of Deshaun Watson heading to New England. 

Let’s start at the beginning. This rumor first started to take shape following the rather puzzling trade of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans to the Arizona Cardinals for essentially a bag of marbles and the albatross of a contract that is attached to running back David Johnson. The optics of the deal were made worse just a few hours later after the Vikings received a king’s ransom (including a 2020 first round pick) for fellow star pass catcher Stefon Diggs. This deal by Houston broke apart one of the better quarterback-receiver duos the NFL had to offer in Watson and Hopkins and was a move that Watson didn’t appear to be the biggest fan of.

On Wednesday, Watson posted the following cryptic messages on his Twitter page. While no one is certain who Watson is alluding to in these messages, it’s probable that something is bothering him.

Earlier this week, on Monday, Watson tweeted out lyrics to the Drake song “Emotionless.” The specific lyrics are particularly timely when you factor in the Hopkins trade. 

Of course, that tweet was all it took for Patriots fans and various NFL fans alike to put on their tinfoil hats and start conjuring up possible trades for Watson out of Houston. What sent that speculation into hyperdrive, however, was a quote-tweet from Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway in response to Watson. The tweet includes another Drake lyric and features a picture of Bill Belichick on the phone implying that the Patriots head coach is trying to lure him to Foxborough. 

The tweet itself is funny in its own right, but what sparked possible Patriots and Watson trade rumors was that Watson himself (or someone who has access to his account) actually liked the post. 

Gasp. 

At just 24-years-old, Watson is one of the best young quarterbacks the NFL has to offer, so one would think that the Patriots would be interested in him if he became available. The only problem with that potential marriage is that Watson is under the Texans control for the next two seasons if they pick up his fifth year option (which seems likely). Given that he is looked at as one of the great quarterbacks in the league, it’d also really hard to fathom the Texans being jazzed up about trading him. That said, if Watson is unhappy with the direction the franchise is going and was to force his way out of Houston by demanding a trade, Bill Belichick would certainly pick up the phone and ring his former offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien to see what it’d take to acquire the Pro Bowl QB, right? 

If Belichick were able to pull something like that off, not only would they have adequately replaced Tom Brady, but the Patriots would also have set themselves up for another decade-long run of dominance with Watson at the helm. The fact that this is even in the realm of possibility — thanks to Watson liking that post — should be a frightening sight for all those clubs in the league celebrating the demise of what was thought to be a fallen dynasty.