The NFL trade deadline is a week away, and one of the more notable names worth monitoring between now and then is current Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. He's been in the thick of trade rumors dating back to the offseason when he requested a trade out of Houston, but off-the-field issues stemming from numerous sexual misconduct allegations have stalled any progress in a deal getting done. That seems to particularly be the case with the Miami Dolphins, who are reportedly one of the main clubs pursuing Watson.
According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the compensation in a potential Watson trade between the Dolphins and Texans has been agreed to. Miami owner Stephen Ross has even approved the trade, but the sticking point is that he wants Watson's legal issues resolved before it's executed. The only realistic way for that to occur prior to the Nov. 2 trade deadline would be if Watson settled his 22 civil suits. As McClain reports, however, Watson does not want to settle because he believes that would be an admission of guilt.
Before a deal is made official, Ross also wants to find out from commissioner Roger Goodell if Watson would be suspended under the personal conduct policy and, if so, for how long.
When asked about Watson during a press conference Tuesday evening from the NFL owners meeting in New York, Goodell said that that the league does not have access to the same information as Houston police and does not want to interfere with that investigation. As the process continues, Goodell noted, the league doesn't feel like it has the necessary information to place Watson on the commissioner's exempt list.
That would seemingly indicate that Watson would be able to suit up immediately if traded, and it'll be interesting to see if that impacts Ross' decision-making. Nevertheless, there's clearly still a number of hoops that need to be jumped through before Watson finds himself in a Dolphins -- or any other -- uniform.
