Will he stay, or will he go? The answer is no. The Houston Texans retained the services of disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson after the team decided not to ship him to the Miami Dolphins as the NFL trade deadline expired.
The Miami Dolphins were the front runners to acquire Watson in a trade, despite their hefty asking price. Word got out that Watson was ready to settle his numerous sexual assault charges with 22 lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints. The unscrupulous Texans raised their price tag for Watson, which was already steep. The Texans sought least three first-round draft picks and a pair of second-rounders to complete a trade for Watson. The Dolphins were the only team with enough draft capital to even consider the ridiculous swap with the Texans.
Prior to last summer’s NFL Draft, several other teams were interested in a trade for Watson, who wanted out of Houston ASAP. Winston indicated he’d like to play for the New York Jets or Miami Dolphins and waived his no-trade clause for either team.
The San Francisco 49ers moved up in the draft via a trade with the Dolphins in exchange for their #3 pick. That trade netted a trio of first-round picks, which provided the Dolphins with the necessary capital to put them in the running for Winston. However, the Texans were not in a rush to trade Watson over the summer, and were willing to play the season without him.
The Texans began the season with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback until he suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2. Backup quarterback Davis Mills, a rookie out of Stanford, was thrust into action when Taylor went down. The Texans won their first game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but then lost seven games in a row including five games with a rookie as the starter.
Numerous reports suggested the Dolphins would finally work out a deal for Watson before today’s trade deadline. However, the Texans held their ground once again and did not flinch at the trade deadline. The bold move could pay off for the Texans with a potential bidding war breaking out in the offseason with numerous other teams in the mix.
The Texans (1-7) will earn a high draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft due to a crappy record this season as the worst team in the NFL not named the Jaguars (1-7) or Lions (0-8). A handful of quarterback-deficient teams are desperate for an All-Pro quarterback like Winston, especially after he settles his legal issues.