In the past months, rumors have been continuously swirling around veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson and his future with the Houston Texans. The Texans may have hesitated to move Watson when he demanded a trade in January but after multiple lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior were filed against him, they suddenly had a change of heart about keeping him on their roster.
As of now, the Texans are active on market, finding a trade partner in the 2021 NFL Draft for their controversial quarterback.
Deshaun Watson Linked To Dolphins
Despite the huge controversy that he’s currently involved in, Watson still continues to receive plenty of interest in the trade market. One of the rumored suitors of Watson on the trading block is the Miami Dolphins. In a recent Twitter post, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports revealed that the Dolphins are emerging as the "frontrunners" to acquire Watson from the Texans via trade.
"Sources tell @yahoosports the #Dolphins have emerged as the frontrunner in trade discussions with the #Texans for QB Deshaun Watson," Robinson wrote. "The Texans are seeking 3 first-round picks and 2 second-round picks in negotiations, according to a team that dropped out of trade talks."
NFL Insider Says Dolphins’ Interest In Deshaun Watson Is Real
With the presence of Tua Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, in Miami, some people have doubts if the Dolphins are really willing to pay the king’s ransom to acquire Watson from the Texans. However, Robinson assured in another post on Twitter that the Dolphins’ interest in Watson is real, citing his "high-level sourcing" from the Texans, Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eages, Carolina Panthers, and the QB’s camp.
Robinson even challenged the Dolphins to deny that they have spoken to the Texans regarding a potential Watson trade during the training camp.
Dolphins Among ‘Finalists’ To Acquire Deshaun Watson
Mike Florio of NBC Sports confirmed the reports of Robinson about Watson. In a recent article, Florio revealed that a "high-level source" told him that the Dolphins want to trade for Watson despite having Tagovailoa on their roster. The source reportedly said that the Dolphins, together with the Panthers, are among the finalists to acquire Watson from the Texans.
Florio was even told by the source that a blockbuster trade involving Watson is expected to take place "next week." However, with the no-trade clause on his contract, the Texans would first need to get Watson’s consent before they could execute any trade.
Deshaun Watson Trade Expected To Happen Mid-Season
However, though his departure from Space City seems inevitable, a potential blockbuster trade involving Watson may not happen anytime soon. According to a Twitter post by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Texans won’t move Watson before cutting the roster from 80 to 53 players by 4:00 p.m. ET.
"The #Texans are not expected to trade QB Deshaun Watson before today’s 4 pm cut down day deadline, sources tell me and @TomPelissero," Rapoport wrote. "Barring a dramatic turn, Houston is now positioned to keep him into the regular season — at least."
