Deshaun Watson, the quarterback for the Houston Texans, stated that he would never play for the team again.
He might receive his dream in theory, but not in the way he envisioned.
In January, Watson demanded a trade, expressing a desire to leave the Texans organization.
Houston refused to move him, turning down offers from all over the league and doing everything they could to persuade the Pro Bowl quarterback to stay.
When the first of 22 sexual misconduct allegations against the Texans franchise quarterback surfaced, it marked the beginning of a legal saga that is still ongoing.
Watson’s NFL future is becoming increasingly questionable as he faces 22 legal lawsuits and ten criminal allegations.
The Texans are open to trading him, but only if they get their original asking price.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Watson, it’s unlikely that any team will be willing to pay the Texans’ high asking price.
Watson is stranded in Houston owing to teams’ aversion to the risks, and ESPN’s Sarah Barshop revealed on Outside the Lines that he may not play again in 2021.
“(Rusty) Hardin claims Watson hasn’t even met with NFL investigators for this, which he says is common of his clients because the NFL prefers to wait until the criminal aspect of the investigation is over before conducting the interview.”
Watson’s participation in Texans activities is currently unrestricted by the NFL.
If that doesn’t change before the start of the season, if the league doesn’t place Watson on the Commissioners Exempt list, we might see him spend the year as a healthy scratch on the Texans 53-man roster.”ESPN’s Sarah Barshop on Deshaun Watson’s Future The NFL isn’t going to rush a decision on Watson.
As the league conducts its own inquiry, which has been criticized by his accusers, it will first await the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
The worst moment to explore a trade for Watson is now for teams like the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins.
Houston isn’t willing to decrease its asking price, even if it means keeping Watson and risking his worth plummeting even further.
Thus, unless anything drastic happens, he’ll be stuck on the Texans’ roster.
It’s possible that the NFL intervenes before the start of the season and places Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, which is essentially paid leave.
If that happens, any time he misses may not be counted toward a possible penalty that will be imposed after the investigations are completed.
It would be surprising if Deshaun Watson played for anyone in 2021, given how he has been used in practice and where he is listed on the depth chart by the Texans.
