USA TODAY Sports
With seven lawsuits, five more promised and ten more possible, common sense suggests that it has become difficult or not impossible for the Texans to trade Deshaun Watson (quarterback). A Saturday report by Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle suggest otherwise.
Wilson cites unnamed sources to support the claim that several teams are still interested in Watson: Eagles, Panthers, Jets, Dolphins, 49ers and Broncos.
Being interested and actually trading are two different things. With the current legal cloud (s) over Watson, anyone who trades for him will take the risk that Watson will eventually be suspended without payment. The new team may also have to pay Watson if he is placed on the Commissioner-released list while the various lawsuits continue – or while a prosecution takes place.
For now, it’s hard to imagine anyone trading for Watson. This may change over time. His lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said a response to the allegations was coming this week. With so many people claiming Watson, it will not be easy for Hardin to make it all disappear.
All parties in this matter have rights, and those rights cannot be resolved quickly. Separately, the NFL’s internal legal system is moving as fast or as slowly as the league wants it to.