The NFL trade deadline is creeping up, and by 3 p.m. Tuesday, quarterback Deshaun Watson will know if he’s headed to Miami.
The Texans have been trying to trade Watson to the Dolphins for weeks, and negotiations intensified last week, but no deal was consummated. It could be on finalized on Tuesday as the deadline approaches.
The Texans, who lost 38-22 to the Rams on Sunday, and the Dolphins are 1-7 with seven-game losing streaks going into their next game at Miami. Too bad they didn’t pull off a trade last week so Watson could play against his former team.
There are Watson reports across the country: Will he stay, or will he go?
Pro Football Talk reported the Texans — meaning general manager Nick Caserio — were pushing to get more from the Dolphins. Caserio has been asking for three first-round draft choices and two second-round picks for almost nine months.
A framework for a trade was agreed on last week, including three first-round picks, but Miami owner Stephen Ross insisted Watson clear up his legal issues before a deal could be made. That meant Watson would have to reach settlements involving 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct.
According to sources close to Watson, he has finally agreed to try to settle with his accusers, but time is running out as the deadline approaches.
League sources say Caserio will make the trade if the Dolphins give him what he wants. If not, he’ll wait until the new league year begins in March and see how many more teams are interested in Watson, hoping to get more in return.
A problem with that idea is Watson’s no-trade clause. At this point, Watson has told the Texans he won’t approve any trade except to Miami. It’s known that he rejected a trade to Philadelphia and possibly even more teams that showed interest.
There are a lot of what-ifs involving Watson’s situation.
By not trading Watson to the Dolphins before the deadline, waiting until the draft in April could leave the Texans in jeopardy.
What if Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa plays well the rest of the season and convinces Ross, coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier he was worth the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft?
What if the Dolphins are no longer interested, and another team that Watson approves won’t offer as much as Miami is offering now?
What if the NFL suspends Watson next season when the Dolphins are trying to rebound rather than this season when they’re trying to avoid finishing last in the AFC East?
What if a grand jury files charges against Watson?
What if Watson suffers another injury like the torn ACL in practice in 2017, his rookie season? He wasn’t touched when he was injured.
Those are questions that can’t be answered now, of course, but they provide some perspective about the challenges the Texans and Dolphins are facing as the clock ticks down to the deadline, and they hope to complete the deal.
Flores, who’s in his third season as Miami’s coach, has been grilled by reporters covering his team twice in the last four days.
Flores has been adamant that Tagovailoa is the Dolphins’ quarterback for now but won’t deny their interest in Watson. He’s been asked to shoot down the Watson-to-Miami reports, and he’s declined to do it.
“I understand the question,” Flores told reporters on Monday. “I basically answer it every day the same way: Tua is our quarterback. Any conversations I have with Chris and Steve, we’ll keep it internal.”
When asked why he won’t answer questions about Tagovailoa being Miami’s starter in the future, Flores said, “When I say Tua is the quarterback, I don’t know how much more I can say. That’s kind of the way I can handle this and approach this the last few weeks.”
Flores may be happier than anyone when the deadline passes. Either he’s going to coach Watson or he won’t have to answer the questions again until March.
Meanwhile, David Culley was asked Monday about the Texans being active at the trade deadline. Watson isn’t the only player who could be dealt for draft choices to expedite the rebuilding process.
“That’s up to Nick,” he said.
Before Caserio makes a move, he talks with Culley about it.
“I’m involved, but right now, my most important thing is figuring out how to get that next win,” he said.
Barring a tie, either the Texans or Dolphins will break their losing streak.
“Whenever Nick talks to people or whenever things happen, we have a conversation about it,” Culley said. “I haven’t had any conversations with him (as of Monday morning).”
There is speculation Caserio will trade more veterans as he did last week when he sent running back Mark Ingram II, their leading rusher, to New Orleans for a seventh-round draft choice in 2024.
Linebacker Zach Cunningham, tight end Jordan Akins and safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. are among the Texans mentioned as being available if the price is right. They’re probably envious of Ingram, who played Sunday in the Saints’ victory over Tampa Bay in the Superdome.
With so much trade speculation involving the Texans, Culley was asked if it’s become a distraction for his players.
“I hope it’s not,” he said. “I’m sure it’s there (but) I haven’t felt it being a distraction. Part of that may be because my focus is always on who we’re playing next and (their) players. In our meetings, everything we do, that’s all we talk about (next game).”
The trade deadline is coming, and every effort is being made to deal Watson to the Dolphins. If they don’t pull it off, we can crank up the speculation again in March and turn it on full blast when the draft approaches on April 28.
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