Deshaun Watson rumors: A trade could be brewing in the near future

Deshaun Watson has been all over the news for the wrong reasons the past few weeks, but things have begun to quiet down as of late.

Watson has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women in civil lawsuits and there is an ongoing criminal investigation into the matter, but the quiet nature from both lawyers as of late may be a sign that the two parties are working on a settlement, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. 

If that is the case, Florio said, we could see Deshaun Watson traded during the 2021 NFL Draft.

"“If the lawyers on both sides of the Deshaun Watson litigation have indeed decided to trade public squabbles for private negotiations, and if they can work out a settlement of the 22 civil claims pending against the Texans quarterback before or during the draft, a trade could happen,” Florio said."

Deshaun Watson trade rumors are beginning to become legitimate discussions again

In Florio’s article, he pointed out that eight teams-  the Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, Broncos, 49ers, Patriots, Bears, and Washington- were interested in trading for Watson before the accusations.

Now, as we head into draft night, he still believes that six of those franchises could be part of negotiations if Watson was placed on the trade block.

Obviously, the Jets and 49ers have locked in themselves at the top of the draft and it seems almost like a foregone conclusion that they’re going to take quarterbacks with the No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks in the draft.

However, the Panthers, Dolphins, Broncos, Patriots, Bears and Washington Football Team still remain as potential trade partners with the Houston Texans if they decided to go that route.

Though there are still many off-the-field questions to be answered about Watson, Florio said there could still be a great demand for the talented former Clemson quarterback.

"“If enough teams are interested, the Texans could end up getting nearly as much as they would have before the off-field problems arose. The real question becomes factoring the length of a potential suspension into the trade value. If the Texans can spark a bidding war for Watson’s contract, it may not matter,” he wrote."

It will be interesting to see what ends up happening with Watson and where he ends up by the time the fall comes around.

We wouldn’t think that the chances of him being traded are all that high during the draft, but you never know.