There may be a new development in the Deshaun Watson saga that may have him on the move.
On Wednesday afternoon, John McClain on the Houston Chronicle Tweeted that a deal was reportedly close for Deshaun Watson. Watson is facing over 20 civil lawsuits of sexual misconduct and assault that have still yet to be heard/played out in a court of law (more on that here) and Watson has voiced that he does not want to play at all for Houston.
As a result, Watson has sat out the entire year and replacements have started in his place. That team is the Miami Dolphins who have been written about as a destination for Watson earlier this season, especially after Tua Tagovailoa went down with an injury that sidelined him for a few weeks.
The Houston Texans have had reports of them lowering their high list of demands for Watson, and this might be the final stage. BattleRedBlog on Twitter also compiled a great thread of Tweets that show that the Texans may just be trying to escape this situation once and for all.
The fact that @MarkBermanFox26 and @AaronWilson_NFL are reporting the #Texans and #Dolphins are talking about getting a trade of Deshaun Watson done before the trade deadline certainly lends legitimacy to the idea. However...
— battleredblog (@battleredblog) October 20, 2021
Deshaun Watson trade destination, possible three-team trade
Similar to what’s seen in the NBA, the NFL could have a rare, three-team deal for players that aren’t Deshaun Watson as well, as Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk 790 Houston tweeted as well.
Another team's potential involvement in another potential trade, not involving Deshaun Watson, is a factor in this situation, per league sources
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 20, 2021
Miami seems like the only franchise that’s willing to part with a quarterback that they just drafted last season in the first round. As for the other team that is rumored to be involved in this trade, the possibilities of who or what could be offered are endless.
Here’s what a possible Deshaun Watson trade given the above tweets:
If there was room to add in “mystery team and player”, then it would be added to that graphic above. Houston has the cap room and also a big desire to get young fast with a new regime to rebuild what once was a playoff contender. Miami only having one first-rounder for April’s draft in their pocket hurts the Texans’ yield on any trade.
This may be the final hour that a trade could even be done with the deadline on Tuesday, November 2nd. It may just come down to whoever has the patience to wait on a quarterback that may not even play if he gets traded.