Deshaun Watson’s deposition coming up in February

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about Deshaun Watson.

Deshaun Watson‘s situation is well-known to everyone in the sports world right now. Facing 22 civil sexual misconduct and assault lawsuits, the world has been waiting until the day he is due in a legal office/building. That date is quickly approaching, barring any delays. The date of Watson’s deposition is February 22nd.

That’s roughly nine days after Super Bowl LVI and will keep the NFL on top of the news cycle at that time. If one hasn’t heard of what a deposition is and what that means, take this quote from Cornell University’s Law School’s website:

"“A deposition is a witness’s sworn out-of-court testimony. It is used to gather information as part of the discovery process and, in limited circumstances, may be used at trial. The witness being deposed is called the “deponent.””"

Unless 22 settlements happen (which at one point Watson had 18 of them ready to settle), then Watson’s court date for a trial would be set for May 2nd of this year, as Sean Pendergast of the Houston Press wrote in an article last May.

All of this is still a barrier to Deshaun Watson playing again. But where would he go if this ends sooner than expected?

Even after their near-magical midseason run, the Miami Dolphins are still one, if not the top spots in my eyes. Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross has made it known for his wishes to get Watson to Miami.

Another team is the Carolina Panthers, who are currently in one of the funnier quarterback purgatories of all time. First is was Teddy Bridgewater, then Sam Darnold, then Cam Newton, and back to Darnold… the comedy act goes on. The thing is that all three of those passers are done as NFL quarterbacks, and with Matt Rhule fighting to save his job, he could persuade Scott Fitterer to pay Houston’s asking price.

There are seven different trade destinations we ranked for Watson eons ago. So while he would have to waive his no-trade clause, these teams are still an option when it all comes down to it.

We’ll see what happens on February 22nd and possibly on May 2nd.