Deshaun Watson drama hits front burner for multiple reasons. What we know and hear
With all deference to the Tua Army that becomes highly agitated at the notion someone on Earth other than Tua Tagovailoa might be the Miami Dolphins 2021 quarterback, this is going to be all about Deshaun Watson.
Buckle your seat belt.
The Watson saga in Houston has become national news again for multiple reasons:
▪ Watson, whose appeal in any possible trade includes the fact he always had a pristine off-field reputation, is now embroiled in something of a legal matter.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee said in an Instagram post Tuesday night he filed a lawsuit against Watson for some unspecified sexual misconduct. Watson responded immediately on his Instagram with a statement saying he rejected “a baseless six-figure settlement demand” and looks forward to clearing his name.
Buzbee did not specify allegations against Watson but there are allegations in the filing found here.
The civil suit claims that on March 30, 2020, during a massage provided by plaintiff Jane Doe (a pseudonym) at her home, “Watson assaulted Plaintiff by touching her with his penis.”
Doe also alleges Watson “wanted her focus to be on his groin area,” and that she eventually concluded that “Watson wanted a massage for only one reason — sex.”
The Houston Texans put out a statement on the matter:
“We became aware of a civil lawsuit involving Deshaun Watson through a social media post last night,” the team’s statement said. “This is the first time we heard of the matter, and we hope to learn more soon. We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident.”
What this means: It could obviously hurt Watson’s standing in the Houston community if a civil suit is eventually heard and he loses. Or it could go away. Either way, the process can be painful because Watson is already fighting a battle on another front, which is to be traded from the Texans.
Teams don’t love acquiring players in court battles. And teams sometimes find it hard trading players involved in court battles.
So this could both slightly hurt Watson’s exchange rate in a trade or it could delay the matter altogether — assuming the Texans are of the mind to trade Watson — as they wait for it all to play out in court or go away.
▪ The Texans continue to do business in free agency. And part of that was signing former Ravens, Bills and Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a one-year contract worth up to $12.5 million with incentives.
The reason the Texans love Taylor? Because head coach David Culley loves Taylor.
Culley was the Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach in 2017 when Taylor threw 14 touchdowns and four interceptions and helped the Bills make the playoffs for the first time in two decades with a 9-7 record.
What this means: The fact Culley and Taylor are so bonded has suggested the Texans are planning for an eventuality where Watson is not on the Texans and Taylor is the bridge quarterback.
▪ Early in January when news of Watson’s unhappiness with the Houston organization got out, longtime Houston football columnist John McClain said emphatically the team would not trade Watson.
He has changed course.
What this means: The thinking is McClain obviously knows something about the inner workings of the team. And he has gathered enough intel to believe a trade is going to happen.
▪ Fellow Radio.com NFL Insider Mike Lombardi said recently on the “Rich Eisen Show” that Watson wants to play in San Francisco or Denver.
“Well, the problem, Rich, is he controls where he wants to go,” Lombardi said. “The rumor is he doesn’t want to play in New York. The rumor is he doesn’t want to play in Miami. He wants to play in Denver [or] San Francisco. So now, you’re [Texans general manager] Nick Caserio, and now your trade options are limited, especially when you know he controls where he says he wants to go. So, say he says I only want to go to San Francisco. I’ll only go to San Francisco. Well, now, San Francisco has all the leverage in the trade. So, all the trade scenarios you go through, if he doesn’t want to go to the Jets, he says, ‘I’m not going.’ So, it’s fool’s gold to get that pick. I can’t make that deal happen.”
What this means: I’m not sure. Because I’m not sure Lombardi is reporting this as fact or rumor or ...
I do know for a fact a source who spoke directly to Watson told me told me the quarterback had the Dolphins and Jets on his short list in a very specific order.
Full disclosure: This was in January from a conversation had during that week when Watson was in New York. So perhaps he changed his mind. Perhaps not.
▪ The Miami Dolphins are doing work in free agency and going about the business of trying to fill out their roster. But they haven’t so far stepped out with a megadeal to anyone. They are being frugal with their cap space.
That definitely gives them fiscal operating room should they wish to jump into a Watson trade derby. Any team would need $10.5 million in 2021 cap space dedicated for a Watson arrival.
The Dolphins could make practically all that space available with one contract restructure — that of cornerback Byron Jones, which would save Miami $9,757,500 in cap space. The Dolphins could actually create $14 million in additional cap space with a series of moves.
What this means: Because the Dolphins have been so far frugal with their spending, they have the fiscal flexibility to get a Watson trade done, if they wish. A megasigning that requires the team to dip into restructures before a Watson arrival thus diminishes the chances of any such arrival.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 2:12 PM.
