Sources: Houston Texans now willing to trade QB Deshaun Watson

[ET80]

11 minutes ago, kingseanjohn said:

Because nothing has happened yet in the legal system? Allegations are one thing - and I am not defending any of them. But I don’t see how they do anything until it plays out in court, if it even goes there. 

Ultimately, you're not wrong. I think the league will strongly suggest an out of court settlement/NDA to resolve the matter somewhat amicably.

I'm also of the mindset that other owners (specifically Jerruh) have a good relationship with prosecuting attorney Tony Buzbee - one of them (Jerruh) will give Tony a call, tell him to back down with the rhetoric, oversee him getting his money ...and maybe they'll also give him the inside track if a franchise becomes available after Bezos gets his football team.

[Broncofan]

57 minutes ago, soflbillsfan said:

He will likely get suspended as Big Ben got 6 games (not sure if it was reduced or not) for one case that was dropped because it was violating NFL's personal conduct. Keep in mind Ben was not arrested nor charged with anything. Even if the allegations go away I would expect Watson to face at least this many games whether it is this year or next year. 

Big Ben was cut to 4 games.

4 observations:

1.  Watson's career is not in jeopardy UNLESS there are criminal charges.     On the flip side, there's little chance he gets off with no punishment, either.  

2.  The Commissioner's exempt list has only been used with players with criminal charges.  Remember that Kareem Hunt was released by KC with the video, the NFL didn't have to take action.  This is why Rapsheet's piece and other beat reporters are now confident - the NFL is going to use that principle.  Frankly, it's a good principle, it's only allegations at this stage.

3.  If there is a civil settlement, apparently a big sticking point is Watson doesn't want a NDA.    I don't think it will be enough to sway public opinion on him as a person, but it's notable in terms of admission for guilt civilly.

4.  If you add it all up, the fact that Watson's not been put on the Exempt list after the NFL has done their "due dilgience" (yes I'm putting it in caps because of their methods/values), I would say it's likely Watson gets somewhere around 4 games.   And for all we know, it could happen this year, if they settle in November.    And sure, it could be 4 games to start 2022.  But I think the reason why teams are willing to trade for him - they are being given behind-the-scenes info that his career is no longer in serious doubt.   

THIS is the reason why HOU and the NFL agreed to this unofficial suspension IMO.  It allowed the dust to settle, and allow teams to actually still trade for him, and HOU to shop him.  I wouldn't be surprised if there are conditional picks involved, either.   But no team is trading for him without the intent of playing him this year, either.   Then it's in the league's court - and from Rapsheet & others are saying, seems pretty likely he could be playing sooner than a LOT of us (myself included) thought would ever be possible.   Shows what happens when you have elite talent, IMO (and I do agree with the principle to wait until the matter settles completely, FWIW).

Edited October 26, 2021 by Broncofan

[Awsi Dooger]

The reason Houston can hold out for huge compensation is that they realize beyond anyone else that the allegations are crap. The allegations were uprooted by Jack Easterby and the Houston Texans and severely inflated by same. That's why it's so easy to identify the hopelessly ignorant and overmatched fan. That type allows full weight to the allegations, and zero weight to the Easterby variable. Therefore the dense conclusion is that Watson faces immense legal jeopardy and isn't worth much of anything in trade. This is the same type who dreaded that trudging caravan from Central America a few years ago.

Th pursuing teams fully understand why Watson doesn't want to settle and doesn't want a nondisclosure clause while the plaintiffs are desperate for all of the above. Normally it's the other way around. But normal cases don't deal with the likes of Jack Easterby and his likeminded friends summoned to help.

Unfortunately the player has a limited career span and is going to be forced to partially surrender, whether he currently grasps that or not. It's a pure numbers game that one side of the aisle has no shame in playing. 30,000 lies cannot be fully combatted and 20+ house of cards accusers cannot be deflected one by one. Watson will have to settle to some degree, as Easterby grins. The bottom line to a guy like Easterby is not the won/loss record. 

[AZ_Eaglesfan]

9 minutes ago, Awsi Dooger said:

The reason Houston can hold out for huge compensation is that they realize beyond anyone else that the allegations are crap. The allegations were uprooted by Jack Easterby and the Houston Texans and severely inflated by same. That's why it's so easy to identify the hopelessly ignorant and overmatched fan. That type allows full weight to the allegations, and zero weight to the Easterby variable. Therefore the dense conclusion is that Watson faces immense legal jeopardy and isn't worth much of anything in trade. This is the same type who dreaded that trudging caravan from Central America a few years ago.

Th pursuing teams fully understand why Watson doesn't want to settle and doesn't want a nondisclosure clause while the plaintiffs are desperate for all of the above. Normally it's the other way around. But normal cases don't deal with the likes of Jack Easterby and his likeminded friends summoned to help.

Unfortunately the player has a limited career span and is going to be forced to partially surrender, whether he currently grasps that or not. It's a pure numbers game that one side of the aisle has no shame in playing. 30,000 lies cannot be fully combatted and 20+ house of cards accusers cannot be deflected one by one. Watson will have to settle to some degree, as Easterby grins. The bottom line to a guy like Easterby is not the won/loss record. 

Right... The Texans in their own interest convince 20+ women to come make their QB look like a serial harasser so that they could..... trade him away?

Right.... right.... 

 

[ronjon1990]

28 minutes ago, AZ_Eaglesfan said:

Right... The Texans in their own interest convince 20+ women to come make their QB look like a serial harasser so that they could..... trade him away?

Right.... right.... 

 

After making him the 2nd highest QB in the league....(or highest paid inactive player there will ever be). Yup, makes perfect sense, right? Lol

[seminoles1]

32 minutes ago, AZ_Eaglesfan said:

Right... The Texans in their own interest convince 20+ women to come make their QB look like a serial harasser so that they could..... trade him away?

Right.... right.... 

I love the part where he says they can hold out for a huge compensation because Houston knows it's all fake...but then right after says it was Houston who did all this in the first place.

It makes perfect sense: lower your franchise QBs value just so you can hold out for full price because you know it was YOU who lowered his value in the first place. It's the perfect crime.

[Trojan]

I think this Houston will trade him end of week reporting since it hasn't happened is showing the Texans had an offer, bluffed it was Miami at too much, then tried to get someone to bite. I bet whatever offer they had on the table is off and might come back lower given it's pretty apparent no one else is bidding the price up.

edit: If the price was low enough Cleveland hail mary rental on Watson would be interesting. Would be Browns think Baker needs to shut it down and heal for the year, then Watson up to speed behind Keenum, then SB run with Watson. If it works you have Watson under contract and don't need to extend Baker/can flip him. If it works, then the offseason Watson is punished you lost smaller compensation to rental playoff success while your "franchise" guy was hurt, Baker would then resume his mantle as Watson would be out of the league. If it doesn't work you just return to Baker, lose compensation for trade rental (conditional picks cancel out) and you just say you tried to give a promising season it's best shot and wash your hands of the situation and extend Baker.

edit2: and Watson would have to be nuts to decline a trade to Cleveland with a talented OL/RB/WR/TE group and has Garrett/Clowney/JOK/Ward/JJ3 as a potential playoff defense.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Trojan

[ET80]

54 minutes ago, AZ_Eaglesfan said:

Right... The Texans in their own interest convince 20+ women to come make their QB look like a serial harasser so that they could..... trade him away?

Right.... right.... 

 

 

24 minutes ago, ronjon1990 said:

After making him the 2nd highest QB in the league....(or highest paid inactive player there will ever be). Yup, makes perfect sense, right? Lol

 

19 minutes ago, seminoles1 said:

I love the part where he says they can hold out for a huge compensation because Houston knows it's all fake...but then right after says it was Houston who did all this in the first place.

It makes perfect sense: lower your franchise QBs value just so you can hold out for full price because you know it was YOU who lowered his value in the first place. It's the perfect crime.

Thank you gents - I was going take this one, but you fellas took the ball and ran with it.

I'm the first person to hate on Jack Easterby, but this isn't him and the timeline of events sort of lead to this conclusion.

To corroborate your theories:

https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/05/21/new-information-proper-context-for-deshaun-watson-sexual-misconduct-lawsuits-daily-cover

Susan next heard from Solis’s colleague just before Christmas in 2020—a full month before Buzbee told the Washington Post that Solis first contacted his firm. (When asked about the discrepancy, Buzbee, via email, responded, “She was in contact with us for several months prior to filing the lawsuit.”) This time she forwarded Susan a screenshot of a message that asked whether Susan would talk to “Ashley’s lawyer (in reference to this summer and the Texans player).” The colleague identified Ashley Solis by name and said that her attorney was “Cornelia Harvey.” She then shared a phone number that matches Cornelia Brandfield-Harvey, an associate at The Buzbee Law Firm. This exchange was before Week 16 of the NFL season and weeks before Watson’s trade demand, defusing the conspiracy theory that has swirled, even in some NFL circles, that the suits are somehow related to Watson’s discord with the team.

[Broncofan]

 

And the NFL has already said they've not approached Watson for an official statement / deposition until the legal matter (grand jury decision on criminal charges) settles.    So it's pretty clear Watson won't be put on the Exempt list right away if he's traded.    Of course, the NFL will have to complete their own investigation and then decide on punishing him either after the grand jury decides +/- civil suit settling.   Could be end of this year, or in the 2022 offseason.    Either way, though, as long as there are some conditions associated with the pick return (some guaranteed, some conditional I'd guess), seems like a deal will happen before Nov. 2 deadline.  Pretty wild turn of events in the past week.

Edited October 26, 2021 by Broncofan

[Awsi Dooger]

Jack Easterby doesn't want to trade Watson before the deadline. You always have to place ultimate focus on how that side thinks. The priority is lancing the enemy, not improving your own situation. Easterby doesn't care about the won/loss record or acquiring draft picks to fortify the future. He would delight in forcing an elite quarterback to sit and twist for an entire season during his brief athletic prime. That is a huge win toward total cleansed control.

Did anyone actually believe that when Easterby fired the highly regarded publicity director for "not a cultural fit" that it would be a one and done? I knew instantly he would aim much higher but mostly be able to cover his tracks when he did. These guys find and embrace likeminded weasels all the way up the ladder. Trading favors. 

[Emerica]

 

So if he gets traded by Nov. 2, it won't be to Miami. 

 

[NudeTayne]

13 minutes ago, Awsi Dooger said:

Jack Easterby doesn't want to trade Watson before the deadline. You always have to place ultimate focus on how that side thinks. The priority is lancing the enemy, not improving your own situation. Easterby doesn't care about the won/loss record or acquiring draft picks to fortify the future. He would delight in forcing an elite quarterback to sit and twist for an entire season during his brief athletic prime. That is a huge win toward total cleansed control.

Did anyone actually believe that when Easterby fired the highly regarded publicity director for "not a cultural fit" that it would be a one and done? I knew instantly he would aim much higher but mostly be able to cover his tracks when he did. These guys find and embrace likeminded weasels all the way up the ladder. Trading favors. 

😁

TIL @Awsi Dooger used to be a highly-regarded publicity director. 

[Matts4313]

Im assuming this has already been posted but I am too lazy to go back 1 page:

 

[AZ_Eaglesfan]

1 hour ago, Emerica said:

 

So if he gets traded by Nov. 2, it won't be to Miami. 

 

Yeah this means he isn’t going to Miami till  the earliest next offseason. Ball is in Panther’s court. 

[seminoles1]

3 hours ago, Trojan said:

edit: If the price was low enough Cleveland hail mary rental on Watson would be interesting. Would be Browns think Baker needs to shut it down and heal for the year, then Watson up to speed behind Keenum, then SB run with Watson. If it works you have Watson under contract and don't need to extend Baker/can flip him. If it works, then the offseason Watson is punished you lost smaller compensation to rental playoff success while your "franchise" guy was hurt, Baker would then resume his mantle as Watson would be out of the league. If it doesn't work you just return to Baker, lose compensation for trade rental (conditional picks cancel out) and you just say you tried to give a promising season it's best shot and wash your hands of the situation and extend Baker.

edit2: and Watson would have to be nuts to decline a trade to Cleveland with a talented OL/RB/WR/TE group and has Garrett/Clowney/JOK/Ward/JJ3 as a potential playoff defense.

This is wild. How would Cleveland possibly afford both Watson and Baker in scenario 2 you've presented? Watson's contract doesn't become void because of a suspension, and Cleveland would not be let off the hook considering they would have traded for him while they knew a suspension was likely.