With Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson no longer facing criminal charges, NFL insiders expect trade interest in him to pick up this week.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports some teams have sent security personnel or hired private investigators to stay updated on Watson’s case.
While Watson no longer faces criminal charges, the NFL is still deciding on whether to suspend him, according to Breer. Watson also still faces 22 active civil suits alleging sexual assault and harassment.
But that won’t stop trade talks from picking back up. Breer mentions the Panthers and Eagles as teams who at one point showed interest in Watson and may restart trade talks. Other teams Breer says have the ammo to put together an offer include the Steelers, Seahawks, Browns, Buccaneers and Saints.
On the other hand, Breer said the Broncos and Dolphins at one point showed interest but will not moving forward. Denver recently traded for Russell Wilson and Miami general manager Chris Grier recently said “The door is shut” on trading for Watson.
Breer isn’t the only one reporting teams’ potential interest. ESPN’s Kimberley Martin also listed five of those teams as following the Watson case closely, only leaving out Tampa Bay. She also mentioned Philadelphia doesn’t seem as interested as they were at one point.
Martin also said teams are taking a possible suspension into account when putting trade offers together.
Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson specified Carolina and Seattle as the two teams most likely to be involved, while also saying the Steelers are not expected to be interested.
Watson’s potential trade could lead to a domino effect on the NFL. The Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud reports the Buccaneers could be interested in Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield if Cleveland were to move in another direction.
Any team that is interested must be able to take on Watson’s contract, which has four years and $156 million remaining. However, an NFL suspension of Watson would void the guarantees in his deal.
Additionally, Watson has a no-trade clause in his deal and has the ability to choose where he wants to go.
