On Friday, a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, returned no bills on nine criminal complaints filed against Deshaun Watson. The Texans quarterback still has 22 civil lawsuits pending against him, but the grand jury’s decision, followed by the district attorney’s statement that criminal proceedings are now concluded, means it’s highly unlikely Watson will face charges in Texas.
The decision comes almost a year after the 22 plaintiffs first filed their suits recounting sexual assault and harassment by Watson, including Watson’s exposing himself and forcing the women to take part in sexual acts against their will, during massage appointments.
If misdemeanor charges had been filed, it would have caused real trepidation for teams interested in trading for Watson. Felony charges would have made a deal a nonstarter for just about everyone. With no criminal charges filed, Watson took one more step toward a return to the NFL after more than a year away from the field.
Over that year, a number of teams have put their security personnel on the case, and some even hired private investigators to stay on top of it from the ground in Houston, sources told Sports Illustrated. Owners have also been in touch with the commissioner’s office to stay up to speed on where the league stands on the matter.
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The league, which is conducting its own investigation, has not given any indication as to whether it will suspend Watson, or whether it will consider his year on the sideline as time served, but in the past players have been suspended under the personal conduct policy even with an absence of criminal charges.
The effort made by these teams created the possibility that Watson could be dealt before last October’s trade deadline, but the lack of legal clarity made any deal nearly impossible. Teams who showed initial interest, like the Eagles and Panthers, are likely to throw their hats back into the ring. Others, like the Broncos (who traded for Russell Wilson) and Dolphins (GM Chris Grier said Miami was out of the running for Watson at the combine), might not be.
Either way, the market is expected to be robust for Watson. Seattle, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and New Orleans are among those that could have the firepower to deal for Watson, who has a no-trade clause.
Watson first requested a trade after the 2020 season, before any of the lawsuits were filed, and Texans GM Nick Caserio was then committed to keeping the team’s franchise quarterback. As Watson’s legal situation worsened, Caserio’s stance on trading Watson softened. But without clarity, either legally or from the league, it became difficult for Houston to get what it saw as a fair return for Watson.
That will likely change now, with competition for his rights likely to ramp up between now and the start of the new league year Wednesday, when trades can become official.
Watson made the Pro Bowl in the three full seasons he was the Texans’ starter (2018 to ’20), led the NFL in passing yards in ’20 and signed a then-market-shifting, four-year, $156 million extension in September ’20. A team trading for Watson will be getting a 26-year-old who is under contract for the next four years for $136 million. Right now, Watson's $35 million base for 2022 is already guaranteed. His $20 million base and $17 million roster bonus for 2023 (payable next March) become fully guaranteed a week from Sunday—however, a personal-conduct suspension would void those guarantees.
The Texans, meanwhile, drafted Stanford’s Davis Mills in the third round in 2021, and Caserio and new coach Lovie Smith have publicly acknowledged the desire to reach closure with Watson.
“I’m not running away from the question, but as soon as possible,” Smith told SI last month. “There are things that need to be taken care of before the football part comes into play. We’re patient, we’ve waited an entire year, and I just feel like this offseason it’ll come to an end and we’ll get it solved and it’ll be good for both parties, whatever that might be.
“There’s no other answer to give right now except for that one, and we’re going to try to get it solved as soon as we possibly can. But we don’t play tomorrow, we have a little bit of time, and we’ll get it done.”
Based on Friday’s developments, it would appear the time to get it done is coming.
