The Houston Texans were adamant earlier in the offseason that they were not going to trade Deshaun Watson, but a lot has changed since then. If rival teams remain interested, the Texans are now all ears.
The Texans have been open to fielding trade offers for Watson “for quite some time,” Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. The asking price remains very high, however, as Houston wants at least three first-round picks and then some.
Watson reported to training camp on Sunday, which means he will avoid mandatory fines of $50,000 per day. Pelissero notes that the star quarterback carried himself in a respectful manner but has reiterated that he wants out of Houston.
It makes sense that the Texans are willing to trade Watson now, as he faces lawsuits from more than 20 massage therapists who have made sexual assault allegations against him. The NFL is still investigating the allegations, and Watson seems likely to be suspended at some point. Until there is more clarity surrounding the situation, teams probably aren’t going to offer multiple first-round picks.
The fact that Watson was not placed on the commissioner’s exempt list prior to training camp could be a positive sign. That could indicate that the NFL does not believe a major violation occurred.
Most teams have their quarterback situation sorted at this point in the offseason. However, there have been rumblings that at least one still has strong interest in Watson.
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