The market for Deshaun Watson is heating up.
After the quarterback found out he won’t face criminal charges over sexual misconduct claims, multiple teams have made trade offers to the Houston Texans for Watson, according to a report. The NFL Network reported Sunday the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers are among them and Watson is expected to meet with them.
Because of his no-trade clause, Watson has a big say over his next destination. The Texans’ asking price for Watson reportedly remains at least three first-round picks — a price tag teams are willing to pay.
While Watson won’t face criminal charges, he still could face discipline from the league. Watson is facing civil lawsuits from 22 different women who have accused the quarterback of sexual misconduct. Eight of the women who sued filed criminal complaints, but a grand jury declined to indict Watson on Friday. Watson has denied the accusations.
The #Texans are expected to grant permission for interested clubs to speak to Deshaun Watson, so this could ramp up quickly. The price hasn’t changed – three first-round picks and more – and multiple teams are willing to pay it. https://t.co/1LJ5NLva9R
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 13, 2022
Watson did not play in 2021 because of the allegations. The NFL did not suspend the 26-year-old, but the Texans made him a healthy scratch every week.
The Saints and the Panthers are two teams in desperate need of an upgrade at quarterback. New Orleans is coming off a season in which it used four signal-callers after Jameis Winston suffered a torn ACL. Winston is a free agent this offseason.
The Panthers, meanwhile, also had a revolving door at quarterback with Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker and Cam Newton. All three struggled and the Panthers went 5-12.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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