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A report surfaced late Wednesday evening that the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles were engaged in Deshaun Watson trade discussions.
More credible reports have since attempted to clarify things. Primarily, Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer noting ahead of Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game that Houston has stopped taking calls in regards to a potential Watson trade.
Now comes this piece of information from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk indicating that Houston is still demanding too much for the embattled Pro Bowl signal caller.
“Per a league source, the Texans still haven’t softened their trade expectations for Watson, despite the lingering uncertainty regarding his career,” Florio noted.
As you likely already know, Watson is facing allegations from north of 20 women of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct. While he’s yet to face criminal charges, there’s a chance that could come to fruition at some point soon. All of this comes after the reigning NFL passing yards leader requested a trade earlier in the offseason.
Deshaun Watson updates
Houston’s original asking price in a Watson trade was said to be multiple first-round picks and at least two starter-caliber players. There’s very little reason to believe that any team is willing to match said asking price with these allegations hanging over the head of the quarterback.
For now, Watson ultimately decided to show up to Texans training camp as a way to avoid daily fines. However, the former Clemson star has not really taken part in practice as the two sides figure out what to do next.
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From a broader perspective, the Houston Police Department is still conducting its criminal investigation relating to the charges. Said investigation is running concurrently with one conducted by the NFL.
As for Watson and his future in the NFL, there’s still a good chance that the Pro Bowl quarterback will face a suspension regardless of how things turn out from a legal standpoint.
A first-round pick of the Texans back in 2017, Deshaun Watson is coming off a 2020 campaign that saw him complete 70.2% of his passes for 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns against seven interceptions.