Deshaun Watson Trade: The Texans quarterback made headlines about a year ago when he expressed his desire to leave the Houston Texans, and then sitting out an entire year.
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All year long, the biggest question on everyone’s mind was when the Houston Texans would ship Watson out, and if so, who they would ship him to. Watson was unhappy with the way Texans went about the hiring process of their new GM and head coach, and ultimately, he demanded a trade.
However, before those talks could go anywhere, Watson was hit with 22 lawsuit by 22 different females who claimed Watson had either sexually assaulted or harrassed them. The claims came from masseuses who Watson worked with. They claimed that he was making them touch him inappropriately among other things.
A judge ruled Monday that Deshaun Watson can face questions under oath in at least nine of the 22 civil cases filed against him by women who have accused the QB of actions ranging from harassment to sexual assault during massage sessions.
More: https://t.co/UtypSFzlOY pic.twitter.com/SLXkr06tUM
— ESPN (@espn) February 22, 2022
The allegations are still active, but the questions about Watson’s future in the NFL still remain.
Houston Texans Deshaun Watson Trade: Will Deshaun Watson play in the 2022-23 NFL season?
The Texans asking price for Watson is reportedly still pretty high including at least three first round draft picks. Which teams would be willing to give up that much? There are several quarterback needy teams in the league, and many could be willing to pull the trigger.
The Miami Dolphins have always been in the mix to acquire Watson’s services, but with them firing head coach Brian Flores and the resulting controversey, it is unknown if Watson would still want to be traded there. Remember, the Texans star has a no-trade clause which only he can waive, so if he doesn’t like a trade offer, he could technically reject a trade by not waiving the clause.
The Eagles are also in the mix, but they could choose to stick with Jalen Hurts after finding an appropriate way to utilize his rushing ability late last year. One team to watch out for are the Washington Commanders as they don’t have a steady quarterback plan in place, and are expected to be big players in the quarterback market this year.
They do have other, safer, options in perhaps Aaron Rodgers (should he choose to leave Green Bay), Jimmy Garoppolo (assuming the 49ers go full steam ahead with Trey Lance), but those prospects are much bigger ‘ifs’ than Watson (in terms of them leaving their teams). The Buccaneers and Vikings are similarly interested in acquiring a big name free agent quarterback.
Brady’s retirement has put Tampa Bay in flux once more at the game’s most important position, and since the rest of their roster is Super Bowl worthy, it may be worth it to invest in someone like Watson. The Vikings could also want a change in scenery from Kirk Cousins even though he’s been stellar for them, and never really the biggest issue with Minnesota.
The biggest problem with Watson still remains his legal issues. If those aren’t sorted out anytime soon, then teams may never be willing to take a chance on him. The legal system will take time to get a statement on Watson, and until then, we may not have further clarity.
Deshaun Watson has the Buccaneers and Vikings on his radar for 2022, according to @JFowlerESPN.
Watson is the defendant in 22 civil cases filed by women in four states alleging sexual assault or inappropriate behavior during massage sessions. pic.twitter.com/m2mnVOD92Y
— ESPN (@espn) February 17, 2022
