Star quarterback Deshaun Watson didn’t play for the Houston Texans during the 2021 NFL season following his offseason trade request and amid the 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct and 10 criminal complaints he’s still facing through the final days of February.
It was learned Monday that Rusty Hardin, Watson’s lawyer, told a judge a grand jury should make a decision on the criminal allegations made against the 26-year-old by or on April 1. As a response, the judge said Watson will be questioned under oath for plaintiffs who have filed criminal complaints after that April 1 date.
It appears such a delay may not prevent the signal-caller from finding a new employer before the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft opens on April 28.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Thursday morning that “multiple teams are indeed willing to make” a trade for Watson’s services this spring “as long as the criminal situation is resolved” even if the civil cases are still ongoing at that time.
It’s unclear if Watson will be banned from playing during at least a portion of the 2022 campaign via the commissioner’s exempt list or a suspension, so any club that trades assets for his rights will likely already have a proven backup on the roster who could play anywhere between four and eight games this fall. Florio notes that the “teams currently willing to do a deal without a settlement of the civil cases aren’t known” at this time.
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