According to league sources, the Houston Texans are ready to keep Deshaun Watson in Houston beyond Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.
According to league sources, while many people in the Texans want to move on from Watson, Houston is open to reopening trade discussions centered around Watson in the offseason.
Nick Caserio, general manager of the Texans, has not wavered in his determination and stance to get Watson full value and has, so far, been unwilling to trade Watson for anything less than what he believes Watson's worth.
Cal McNair, the owner of the Texas Rangers, has privately stated to people that he would like Watson traded before Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline. ET deadline, but has decided to leave the decision to Caserio.
Sources say that the Texans and Miami Dolphins had held trade talks at different points. Miami was in the driving seat with Watson's desire for Miami to play.
The Dolphins prefer that Watson's legal issues are resolved before they make a deal. Watson faces 22 civil lawsuits alleging inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment, and 10 criminal complaints. However, no charges have been brought against Watson and the quarterback denies the allegations.
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, stated Tuesday that they don't have enough information regarding the lawsuits to make a determination on possible discipline and that what they do have isn't enough to exempt Watson from the list.
The uncertain future of Watson has impacted trade discussions between the Texans and other teams, including the Dolphins.
According to sources, Watson has not waived his no trade clause for the Dolphins. Sources told ESPN that Watson has not waived his no-trade clause for the Carolina Panthers and any other team.
The Panthers have been linked with Watson since last offseason. Some even speculated about what a package would look like for the three-time Pro Bowl running back.
Scott Fitterer, general manager of the Panthers, and Matt Rhule, Panthers head coach, called Christian McCaffrey Friday night to inform him that they have never discussed or considered trading Watson to Houston, despite rumors about him running back for the Stars.
The talks between the Texans, Panthers did not escalate because Watson refused to waive his no trade clause for Carolina. Therefore, the organization was never able to evaluate possible trade scenarios in the way it wanted. With the history of harassment by Jerry Richardson, the Panthers were reluctant to trade until they felt completely comfortable.
Although the Dolphins seem to be the only team capable of trying to make a trade before Tuesday's deadline passes, there's not much hope that a deal will be done by Sunday morning. Sources say there are legal and compensation issues as well as uncertainty that make it difficult for anyone involved to believe that a deal will be reached in the next three working days.
Brian Flores, the Dolphins' head coach, has stated openly that Tua Tagovailoa will be Miami's starting quarterback, and this is likely to continue throughout the season, barring any injury. Next Sunday, the Dolphins will face the Texans in Miami.
