Then we'll just keep our picks and take Zach Wilson
And that's our leverage.
The Texans see the writing on the wall. Watson doesn't want to play there. It's really hard to have a quarterback who really doesn't want to be there. That means they have to trade him, and then they'll need a new QB. To draft a QB, they would need a high pick. The Jets have the highest available pick.
The Texans can ask for all of our 1st-round picks. But nobody has the ability to give the #2 pick in this year's draft. Nobody else can deliver Zach Wilson if that's who they want. If they ask for too much, we can try to call their bluff.
If Zach Wilson reaches his upside, and he's just as good as Deshaun Watson, it would be better to build around Wilson on his rookie deal and keep extra 1st-rounders to build around him. You trade for Watson because he is a sure thing. But if the Texans want to ruin our ability to build around him, we can take Wilson and easily build around him.
If a team like the Panthers offers their 1st-round pick each of the next 3 years, is that a much better offer than the #2 pick by itself? The #8 pick, and two potential back-half of the 1st-round draft picks in the future? It's a better offer, but the Panthers' deal can't guarantee a QB for them. We can add one more 1st-round pick to the #2, whether it's this year or next year, and that offer is immediately better IMO.