March 10, 2022
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Teams have interest in trading for QB Deshaun Watson, but with pending civil suits and a possible criminal case for sexual assault/misconduct, his future is unclear.
Aaron Rodgers is staying put in Green Bay and Russell Wilson is off to Denver.
Deshaun Watson is the last major name on the quarterback market, but with 22 pending civil lawsuits for sexual assault/misconduct and a potential criminal case that could come as early as Friday, he's also a highly controversial one.
Teams across the NFL still have interest though, and according to a report from Pro Football Network, up to 10 teams are monitoring Watson's situation, with the Carolina Panthers having the highest interest.
The Eagles are also mentioned as one of teams, and have been connected to Watson trade rumors in the past year, but it looks like they're out of the running based on the report.
"Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman previously conducted significant due diligence on Watson before last season. The Eagles even sent an investigator to Houston to look into the legal situation and contact Rusty Hardin, Watson’s attorney, per sources. However, Watson has never been inclined to waive his no-trade clause for the Eagles. Moreover, Philadelphia has publicly committed to Jalen Hurts as their quarterback." [Pro Football Network]
The report comes a couple days after former Eagles executive Joe Banner wrote a lengthy article for The 33rd Team detailing why Philadelphia would be the most likely fit, and nearly a week after Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote that the Eagles (and Broncos before the Wilson trade) would be "positioned to strike if the right deal is there."
Roseman backed Hurts as the starter again at the NFL Combine, but as our own Jimmy Kempski noted in his takeaways from Indianapolis last week, it doesn't mean much if an opportunity is out there to upgrade.
Watson, still a member of the Houston Texans, did not play at all last season as the sexual assault/misconduct allegations piled up. He is still thought of as one of the better QBs in the league and the Texans want to be compensated for it as much if a trade does happen.
But obviously, all of this depends on Watson's legal fate.
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