Report: Dolphins-Texans Have Agreed on Watson Trade But Issues Remain
A few hours after Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross brushed away questions about possible interest in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, a new report from longtime Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain indicated that Watson and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell are the only things now standing in the way of a trade.
Per McClain, the Dolphins and Texans have agreed on compensation and Ross has signed off on the deal, but on the condition that Watson settles his legal issues stemming from 22 accusations of sexual misconduct and that he gets some sort of indication from Goodell as to whether and for how many games Watson would be suspended under the league's personal conduct policy.
Goodell addressed Watson's situation at the owners meetings Tuesday, though he didn't offer much clarity.
"We don't have all the access to that information and pride ourselves on not interfering with it," Goodell said. "That process is ongoing ... We don't feel we have that necessary information to place him on the exempt list."
That, of course, doesn't mean that Watson couldn't end up on the exempt list or even suspended at some point, which brings uncertainty into the whole situation.
At this point, the one way for Watson to settle his legal issues would be to reach a settlement with his accusers, but McClain, citing league sources, says Watson doesn't want to do that because it would represent an admission of guilt.
So it's entirely possible that the Dolphins and Texans having reached agreement on a trade won't mean anything in the final analysis unless Ross decides to drop his two conditions.
The compensation package for Watson, according to McClain's report, would include the three first-round picks the Texans have been seeking but likely something less than the additional two second-round choices they wanted. Watson would have to agree to waive his no-trade clause before the Texans can move him, but Miami has long been reported as his preferred destination.
NFL reporter Josina Anderson, meanwhile, reported Wednesday morning that the Dolphins still have not met Houston's compensation demands.
The NFL trading deadline is next Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. ET, after which time no trade can be consummated until the start of the 2022 league year in March.
The Carolina Panthers were reported to be interested in the aftermath of their fourth consecutive loss and another poor performance by quarterback Sam Darnold, but Rapoport reported Wednesday morning they are not interested in making a deal for Watson at this time, and furthermore the Dolphins are the only team for which he has indicated he would waive his no-trade clause.
Ross was approached by reporters at the NFL owners meeting in New York earlier Tuesday but laughed as he pre-emptively brushed aside Watson questions: "I know what it's about and I'm not dealing with it."
It was yet another opportunity the Dolphins bypassed to make a bold statement that they're not interested in making a trade for Watson and fully support second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Head coach Brian Flores had his chance last week when he was asked about the latest round of Watson rumors and, after saying he didn't want to address rumors, added, "Tua is our quarterback" — which isn't the kind of declaration that's going to stop rumors.
Then again, rumors and reports of the Dolphins' interest in Watson have come up so often throughout the year that it's clear why they're not dismissing all the speculation.
It's likely to be another awkward week at Dolphins camp for Tagovailoa, who's coming off a very good two-game sequence against Jacksonville and Atlanta during which he completed 74.7 percent of his passes and compiled a 102.7 passer rating, although Miami lost both games.
All the speculation can't be easy for Tagovailoa, who addressed the constant talk after the game against Atlanta.
"I hear it," Tua said. "I do hear it. The thing is I just don’t listen to it, you know? That’s the thing. But, yeah, that’s that."
It sure sounds like Tua is going to have to deal with that outside noise again this week.
