Dolphins and Texans Stall on Deshaun Watson Deal
Watson’s off-field behavior has made the deal much more complicated.
The Houston Texans have been trying for a while now to ink a deal to send their current quarterback, Deshaun Watson, literally anywhere else. Watson currently facing at least 22 counts of sexual misconduct on his record, with at least ten women filing police complaints against him. The Texans have been trying to get rid of him since these allegations surfaced in March, but unsurprisingly, nobody wants a player with that kind of baggage.
The Carolina Panthers previously considered putting a feeler out for Watson, but retracted that offer today, adding that they are no longer interested in pursuing him. Currently, the Texans’ best bet for offloading Watson is the Miami Dolphins. Stephen Ross, owner of the Dolphins, has allegedly inked a trade agreement, but with a very important proviso: all of Watson’s legal problems must be completely settled before a deal can get underway.
“I know what it’s about and I’m not dealing with it,” Ross said.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on #Texans QB Deshaun Watson: “We don’t have all the access to that information & pride ourselves on not interfering with it. That process is ongoing.”
Important: “We don't feel we have that necessary information to place him on the exempt list.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 26, 2021
Earlier this week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked whether or not Watson should be suspended for his behavior, but Goodell said they hadn’t quite obtained a full picture of Watson’s transgressions, and therefore couldn’t pass judgement on him just yet. “We don’t have all the access to that information and pride ourselves on not interfering with it,” Goodell said at an NFL owners meeting in New York. “That process is ongoing … We don’t feel we have that necessary information to place him on the exempt list.”