Deshaun likes to play for a team in the South. (0:56)
According to a team source, the Cleveland Browns are no longer in the running to land Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans.
The quarterback was in Houston on Tuesday and the team tried to convince him to waive his no-trade clause and play for them. The New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons are still considered to be the favorites for the time being.
The emergence of 22 civil lawsuits against him for alleged sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions resulted in him not playing last season. The end of criminal proceedings related to him in Harris County and the start of trade talks between the Texans and interested teams came after a Texas grand jury declined to indict him last Friday.
A source told Field Yates that the Saints restructured the contracts of quarterback Taysom Hill, defensive backs Bradley Roby and Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker Demario Davis in order to absorb the $35 million salary of tight end Benjamin Watson.
The dilemma with Baker Mayfield is complicated by the decision ofWatson. As Cleveland officials were flying back from the meeting Tuesday night, the quarterback posted a statement on social media thanking the city of Cleveland and its fans who truly embraced who he is.
With many uncertainties, here is where my head and heart is and I would like you to know it.
The Browns will have to decide if they will try to reconcile with Mayfield or trade the former No. 1 overall draft pick and try to acquire another quarterback. The source said the team would prefer to move forward with Mayfield.
According to a source, Mayfield and his camp learned about the meeting from social media. According to multiple sources, Andrew Berry told the camp of the possibility of pursuing a top-flight quarterback if one became available.
Both Berry and Kevin Stefanski had made it clear that Baker would remain the starting quarterback through the scouting combine.
The attorney for the people who filed the lawsuits told KHOU 11 that before he met with the Browns, he answered questions on two of the lawsuits. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when he sat for two depositions.
During his first three seasons in the league, he played under four head coaches. Cleveland won its first playoff victory in 26 years during the 2020 campaign and finished in the top 10 in the league in QBR.
In Week 2 of this past season, a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder caused him to struggle, and he finished 27th in QBR as the Cleveland Browns missed the playoffs and finished with a disappointing 8-9 record.
The final year of his contract, which will pay him $19 million, will be the year that he is fully recovered from his surgery to repair the labrum.
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