Ask me a number of days in the past if I might care a lot in any respect about Deshaun Watson’s court docket proceedings scheduled to be held later in the present day, and I might have instructed you ‘no’. Whereas not a lot has modified since then, nonetheless, there’s the chance that it might.
Is there an opportunity, even when considerably slim, that Watson is the following franchise quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers? I believe sure, even when I wouldn’t guess cash on it, nor would I personally encourage the group to do this. However it doesn’t matter what comes, in the present day will probably be an essential day for him.
Watson is due in court docket to testify relating to civil lawsuits filed in opposition to him by 22 completely different feminine therapeutic massage therapists who’ve accused him of participating in misconduct by their companies. He’s anticipated to plead the fifth. At this time, he’s additionally anticipated to seek out out whether or not or not legal prices will probably be filed in opposition to him, and if he escapes that, from the sounds of it, he will probably be on the transfer shortly.
As a result of his present group, the Houston Texans, are “very motivated” to get Watson’s state of affairs resolved, as Mike Florio of Professional Soccer Speak instructed Clint Stoerner & The Present. The beginning of the brand new league yr is across the nook, at which era his $35 million 2022 base wage formally comes on the books. They usually can’t afford to have that cash tied up once they have so many wants. And the truth that they need this resolved calls into query what worth they will get for him.
“What the Texans must do is develop a market with a number of groups”, Florio stated, “as a way to get a big return for Deshaun Watson…I believe the Seahawks would’ve simply saved Russell Wilson in the event that they didn’t get the bundle that they received. We all know the Texans are very motivated to commerce Deshaun Watson, so they should get the Panthers and the Eagles to the desk, and whoever else they will get to the desk, as properly”.
However Florio didn’t sound overly assured that there will probably be many reasonable suitors, of groups who’ve each the need and the potential of buying and selling for him. What number of suitors they could have will rely lots on what occurs in the present day, as there are reviews that a lot of groups could be prepared to observe by on a commerce so long as legal prices will not be introduced, even when civil circumstances stay.
“I sense a level of optimism from Watson’s camp, not simply that they’re gonna have a choice tomorrow from the grand jury, however the determination is gonna be, at a minimal, no felony prices, presumably no prices in any respect”, he instructed his hosts.
If Watson clears up his authorized points, or no less than takes a significant step towards that, Florio anticipates {that a} commerce will shortly materialize, with anyone, and could be made official firstly of the brand new league yr. That’s clearly what the Texans need, as he stated, as a result of Watson is rarely going to play for them once more.
