Deshaun Watson is going to remain with the Houston Texans through at least the end of the season. Not surprisingly, the star quarterback’s impending legal situation was reportedly the main reason he was not traded ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
The Miami Dolphins were always viewed as the most logical suitor for Watson. They discussed a potential deal with the Texans, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the two sides were not able to come to an agreement. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross ultimately decided not to acquire Watson after certain “contingencies” were not met.
Although the Dolphins did due diligence on Deshaun Watson and had conversations with Houston, Miami will not make a trade for the QB, per source. Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross, who had contingencies that needed to be met for any deal, made the final decision to not move forward.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2021
And with the Dolphins declining to make a QB trade before today’s deadline, Deshaun Watson now is expected to remain on the Texans’ roster until after this season, when the team can explore a trade for him again at that time.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2021
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Ross was only given permission to speak with Watson about a trade last night. That made it even more difficult to work out a deal.
#Dolphins owner Stephen Ross received permission to speak with Deshaun Watson, but only last night. As complicated a deal as this is, that wasn’t enough time. https://t.co/zddXP9htJM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 2, 2021
Watson is facing sexual assault allegations from multiple women. Some of them have filed complaints with the police, but prosecutors have not yet determined if he will face charges. Despite that, the Texans were still asking for a massive haul in return for Watson. Teams like the Dolphins likely wanted some sort of assurance that they could recoup some draft capital if Watson winds up being charged. It’s no surprise the Texans were not interested in that type of agreement.
The Texans appear to have moved on from Watson, but they will now have to wait until the offseason to trade him.
