Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that “the hope, belief, the expectation” is that Texans QB Deshaun Watson will be traded before the November 2 deadline.
According to Rapoport, multiple teams are still interested in trading for Watson, despite the report from last week that a deal with the Dolphins was likely to be finalized in the next week or so.
Rapoport lists the Broncos, Panthers and Eagles among other teams who are interested in acquiring Watson.
Watson has a no-trade and reports have said that he would waive it for the Dolphins. However, Rapoport says it remains to be seen whether he would waive it for any of the other interested teams.
As for the possibility that Watson could be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, Rapoport explains that a player can only be placed on this list if they are charged with a felony or a violent crime and as of now, Watson has not been officially charged with anything, despite the 22 civil lawsuits he’s facing for sexual assault.
Rapoport hasn’t heard that Watson would be placed on the list should a team trade for him, which means he should be able to suit up this season.
The Texans are looking for three first-round picks and multiple other selections/players in return for Watson.
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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