NFL analyst says there soon could be big news on Watson
By: will-vandervort May 10, 2021

Are we on the verge of some big news on the Deshaun Watson front? NFL Network and radio host Rich Eisen thinks so.

The longtime television journalist said Monday things are just too quiet between the Houston quarterback’s attorney and the attorney representing the 22 massage therapist who have accused Watson of sexual misconduct and assault in a civil lawsuit.

Others in the media have speculated if these cases are not settled soon, Watson will be in jeopardy of missing the entire 2021 football season.

Like everyone else, Eisen feels Watson days at Houston are done. The former Clemson quarterback asked to be traded at the end of last season, and at the time the Texans showed no interest in trading their three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

However, after signing Tyrod Taylor and then drafting Stanford quarterback Davis Mills in the third round of the draft, it appears the Texans are now ready to deal Watson off to someone else.

But until all the legal issues are resolved and the NFL has decided what it wants to do, the Texans will not be able to trade Watson. That is why Eisen believes everything could be done before the new football season begins.

“I think he’s somewhere else by the fall,” Eisen said. “Why aren’t you hearing from the lawyer (Tony Busbee) that wanted to post everything on Instagram? When was the last time you heard from him publicly?”

On Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported news is starting to leak that the Texans are slowly moving on from their former first-round draft pick.

“Teams I’ve talked to around the league are taking notice that the Houston Texans seem to be slowly moving on from Deshaun Watson,” Fowler said on SportsCenter on Sunday.

Mills was the Texans’ first pick of the draft after they traded away their first two picks in a previous draft.

According to Fowler, the Texans seem to be gauging interest in potential suitors for Watson’s services. That was not the case a couple of months ago when Watson first asked for his trade.

“The Texans were turning down everybody who was calling about Watson,” Fowler said. “Carolina was willing to give them the world,” Fowler reported. “They said, ‘No.’ They’ve been far less committal, recently. They don’t know when Watson is even going to be cleared to play.”

Fowler says the NFL will consider putting Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt List later this summer if his civil case is still going on. If Watson is put on the exempt list, then he will be eligible to receive the $10 million salary he is scheduled to make in 2021.

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