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The Houston Texans raised their asking price for quarterback Deshaun Watson once they “caught wind of the growing possibility that the 22 civil lawsuits would be settled,” according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
The three-time Pro Bowler is facing 22 lawsuits stemming from allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Ten women filed formal complaints with Houston police as well.
The lawsuits and complaints have made it difficult for the Texans to finalize a trade involving the star passer ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.
The Houston Chronicle‘s John McClain reported the Miami Dolphins had struck a tentative deal with Houston regarding the compensation. The Texans would get at least three first-round picks under the terms of the agreement.
However, McClain also reported that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross signed off on the trade but only on the condition that Watson’s legal issues are “resolved.”
Florio noted the Dolphins and Texans didn’t make anything official, which allowed the latter to return to the bargaining table.
“The increased demands caused the talks to crater,” Florio wrote. “Now, the primary impediment is the gap between what the Texans want and what the Dolphins will offer.”
According to the report, Watson would be expected to settle his civil cases if a trade happens, but that wouldn’t cover the criminal complaints.
The 26-year-old hasn’t been suspended and hasn’t been placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday the league hasn’t received enough information to make a definitive judgment.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Texans</a> QB Deshaun Watson: “We don’t have all the access to that information & pride ourselves on not interfering with it. That process is ongoing.” <br><br>Important: “We don’t feel we have that necessary information to place him on the exempt list.”
Instead, Watson is effectively serving a paid suspension. The Texans have yet to activate him for any of their first eight games. Tyrod Taylor opened the season as the starting quarterback, and Davis Mills has run the offense following Taylor’s hamstring injury.
In the event he remains in Houston beyond the trade deadline, perhaps the team would reconsider its current stance. Otherwise, Watson may be looking at an entire season in which he failed to log a snap.
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