John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Texans and Dolphins continued trade talks for QB Deshaun Watson on Thursday, but no deal has been finalized at this point.
According to McClain, there are still a lot of moving parts with this potential deal, but the two parties are hoping to have a deal completed this week. Although, the possibility exists that the process could take until the Nov. 2 trade deadline to be completed.
Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract and has reportedly rejected potential deals to teams other than the Dolphins. Watson has said that he wouldn’t exercise his no-trade clause should he end up in Miami.
The Dolphins and other teams that have expressed interest in Watson want him to resolve his legal issues, as he’s still facing 22 civil lawsuits that have accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. The NFL and the Houston Police Department are still investigating him.
Beyond that, the Dolphins are seeking some clarity from the NFL regarding Watson’s status for this season if they’re going to part with the three first-round picks and multiple other selections/players to get Watson from the Texans.
The NFL has yet to suspend Watson or place him on the commissioner’s exempt list, so it remains to be seen what his status would be if a team acquires him.
McClain says that Texans GM Nick Caserio hasn’t been interested in including contingencies as part of a Watson trade.
As for Miami possibly including Tua Tagovailoa in a deal for Watson, McClain reports that Houston hasn’t shown much interest in the young quarterback.
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 as the news is available.
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