Watson's future murky as trade rumours fly
With the NFL'S roster deadline looming and the regular season nearing, the league and the Houston Texans face decisions about the playing status of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who reported to the team for training camp but has done relatively little on the field while his legal issues remain unresolved.
Speculation has intensified in recent days about the possibility that the Texans could trade Watson, who has been accused by women in civil lawsuits of inappropriate sexual behaviour. It remains unclear, however, whether any of the teams interested in Watson are willing to meet an asking price that is said to be steep.
The football-related decisions that must be made about Watson are complicated by the prospect that a Harris County grand jury — reportedly being used to determine whether criminal charges will be brought against him — will not take any action by Sept. 12, when the Texans are scheduled to open their season by facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Houston.
Watson's interactions with the Texans have been increasingly odd since he reported to training camp July 25. He has been with the team, but not really a part of the team. He has participated sparingly in practice-field drills. He has not played in pre-season games. At one point, Watson walked past a row of cameras and said, “Why are you all always filming me every day? It's the same (stuff ).”
It's an untenable situation that was inherited by Nick Caserio, the Texans' new general manager, and David Culley, their first-year coach. Before the allegations in the lawsuits became public, Watson requested a trade, apparently upset that the Texans had not followed through on pledges to accept his input into their off-season organizational overhaul. Texans officials originally said they did not intend to trade Watson but have since relented, according to people familiar with the situation. Watson did not participate in off-season activities with the team but avoided mandatory daily fines of US$50,000 by reporting to training camp.
Several teams are sufficiently interested in Watson to have done their due diligence on his legal situation and NFL playing status, attempting to determine his availability for the start of the season and beyond. Profootballtalk reported over the weekend that the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins were believed to be the two finalists for a prospective trade for Watson.
A Yahoo Sports report called the Dolphins the front-runner.
“Reports, speculation (are) not things we really get into,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said at a news conference following Sunday's pre-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. “Look, I understand the question. But as I've said in the past, any conversations that we have or don't have with other clubs are going to be internal.”
There also has been speculation about the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. But one person familiar with the situation cast doubt on the immediate prospects for a deal, saying the Texans may be trying to drum up a robust market for Watson that perhaps does not exist. The Texans are believed to be seeking a king 's ransom of draft picks in a trade. Watson would have to waive the no-trade clause in his contract to facilitate a deal. He signed a four-year, US$156 million contract extension last year.
NFL teams have until 4 p.m. ET Tuesday to reduce their rosters to 53 players each for the regular season. At that point, the Texans might be less willing to pay Watson to occupy a roster spot without being an active participant. He has a salary of $10.5 million for the 2021 season.
The league chose not to put Watson on paid administrative leave via placement on the commissioner's exempt list when he reported to training camp. But if the NFL, the Texans and any interested teams are hoping for clarity by the start of the season on the prospect of criminal charges against Watson, they may be disappointed. One person familiar with the case said it's unlikely that the grand jury process will be completed by then.
The NFL declined to comment Sunday through a spokesman. Neither the Texans nor Watson's agent responded to requests for comment over the weekend.
The NFL'S personal conduct policy empowers NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave, even without criminal charges, when “the circumstances and evidence warrant doing so” based on an investigation by the league. The NFL generally ties use of the exempt list to the regular season, giving the league the ability to re-examine its decision on Watson made at the outset of training camp.
Watson faces 22 active lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, civil assault and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. He and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, have denied the allegations. Attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents the women making the accusations, said when the league opted against paid leave for Watson at the outset of training camp, that he was not focused on Watson's NFL career.
“I have nothing to do with his football career or whether he plays,” Buzbee said via email then. “I represent 22 women bringing serious sexual misconduct claims. That's what I'm focused on.”