The Houston Texans are now switching stances and are now willing to field offers from interested teams who wish to trade for franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop.
It was reported over the weekend that Watson would be reporting to Texans training camp in order to avoid the $50K per day fines that would be handed down if he decided to skip. Watson demanded a trade from the organization earlier this offseason.
Watson officially reported to camp on Sunday, but reiterated his desire to be traded.
The Texans already have had preliminary discussions with other teams about Watson but do not feel as though they have received a serious offer.
It has been reported that the Texans’ price for Watson has been a combination of five high draft picks and starting-caliber players, a lofty price tag that many teams may deem to pricey, despite Watson’s status as a superstar franchise quarterback.
“I’m 100% sure he’ll be traded at some point in the coming future,” Watson’s personal QB coach Quincy Avery said, during an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “I think the Texans have made the decision to move on. He doesn’t want to be there, they’re ready to move on; all they’re waiting for is fair market value for him, and they’ll get a lot.”
Any team acquiring Watson would be taking on the drama and uncertainty of Watson’s legal issues, as there are now 22 active lawsuits allege sexual assault and inappropriate behavior against Watson.
