John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, citing sources close to Texans QB Deshaun Watson, reports that he has finally agreed to try to settle with his accusers regarding the 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct he’s facing.
This is notable, considering that it could pave the way for a trade to get done before tomorrow’s deadline.
Reports have said that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has insisted upon Watson clearing up his legal situation before they get a trade agreement in place with the Texans.
Trade talks between the Texans and Dolphins reportedly intensified last week, but they were unable to strike a deal at that point.
McClain previously mentioned that the two teams had a framework for a trade agreed upon last week that included three first-round picks.
However, Mike Florio reported that once the Texans caught wind of Watson potentially settling, their asking price on Watson went up.
League sources have told McClain that Texans GM Nick Caserio will make the trade if the Dolphins give him what he wants. Otherwise, he’s willing to wait until the new league year begins next March to see if more teams are interested in Watson.
According to McClain, Watson has told the Texans he won’t approve any trade except to Miami, which could hurt Houston’s ability to work a deal with a different team next year.
Watson has already rejected a trade to the Eagles.
The Panthers had some recent interest in Watson, but they are reportedly out of the mix now and plan to move forward with Sam Darnold.
Dolphins HC Bran Flores said last week that Tua Tagovailoa is their quarterback. However, he hasn’t denied the possibility that they could acquire Watson before the deadline.
“I understand the question,” Flores said Monday. “I basically answer it every day the same way: Tua is our quarterback. Any conversations I have with Chris and Steve, we’ll keep it internal.”
Flores was then asked why he would specifically rule out a trade for Watson.
“When I say Tua is the quarterback, I don’t know how much more I can say. That’s kind of the way I can handle this and approach this the last few weeks,” Flores said.
Watson, 26, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million with the Texans that included a fifth-year option around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.
The Texans signed Watson to a four-year deal worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year.
In 2020, Watson appeared in all 16 games for the Texans and completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 444 yards and three touchdowns.
We’ll have more on Watson ahead of the trade deadline as the news is available.
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