Watson doesn’t want to be in Houston and the team has put a ‘price’ on their rebellious star
The Houston Texans seek six-man package and NFL draft picks of teams interested in trading star quarterback Deshaun Watson this summer, league sources told ESPN.
Whether the package consisted of one player and five draft picks or two players and four picks, the Texans are unwilling to compromise on their trade price for Watson, who remains on his roster even though he will not be active for Sunday’s season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans do not plan to play Watson at all this season, but league sources believe that Houston’s general manager, Nick Caserio will not trade the three-time Pro Bowler for anything less than the six players and teams combined..
Sources mentioned ESPN that no team is willing to meet Caserio’s sale price without putting conditions on the selections due to ongoing investigations by the FBI, the Houston Police Department and the NFL into Watson, who faces 22 active civil lawsuits with accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior.
Watson and his attorneys have denied the allegations and no charges have been filed. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said last month that Watson also spoke to the FBI about the racketeering allegations regarding one of the 23 lawsuits originally filed against him. Until last month, Watson had not spoken directly to the NFL, according to Hardin.
Watson requested a trade in January because he was dissatisfied with the direction of the franchise and the process used to hire Caserio.
Informants previously told ESPN that the Texans are prepared to keep Watson on their 53-man roster for the entire season, even though they will have to pay his $ 10.5 million salary.
Tyrod Taylor will start Sunday against Jacksonville, while rookie Davis Mills will be Houston’s backup.
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