Houston Texans embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson won't face criminal charges for allegations of sexual misconduct, as a Texas grand jury on Friday declined to indict the former first-round pick on the nine criminal complaints presented in court. Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits, and he exercised his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination during Friday's deposition.
With the three-time Pro Bowler clear of all criminal wrongdoing, he'll return to the field at some point in the 2022 season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell still has the unilateral power to suspend Watson, under the league's personal conduct policy, and there's a strong possibility that he'll miss games. But the trade market for Watson is intensifying once again, and Houston sports radio host Seth Payne predicts that one NFC South team will strike a deal.
"Tampa Bay would seemingly check off a lot of boxes -- especially with Chris Godwin still in the fold, the kind of offense he could have there," Payne told The Zach Gelb Show on Friday. "This is important. [Bucs OC] Byron Leftwich worked with Tom Brady in taking New England's offense and making it merge with Bruce Arians' offense. Deshaun Watson learned that Brady offense in his first four years here, and was getting really good at it by the fourth year.
"Leftwich in not accepting that job in Jacksonville, sticking around in Tampa might end up being the key factor in whether or not Watson wants to go to Tampa. He can probably look at that and say, 'I can go work with Leftwich, work in that Brady offense, using a lot of the same terminology and same concepts.' I think Tampa Bay makes the most sense because of the team interest and Deshaun match. And not to mention the talent on that roster."
Watson -- who requested a trade from the Texans last spring -- didn't play a single snap during the 2021 campaign, as he was listed as a healthy scratch. When the 26-year-old last played, in 2020, he threw for a career-high 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and averaged a league-best 8.9 yards per attempt. Watson signed a four-year, $156 million contract extension in 2020 and has a no-trade clause. His 2022 cap hit is $40 million.
The Buccaneers are in desperate need for a new quarterback, as Tom Brady announced his retirement in February. During his two seasons under center, Tampa's offense ranked top-three in average points, top-seven in yards, and celebrated a Super Bowl 55 title. The price tag for Watson will most likely be hefty, as Texans general manager Nick Caserio reportedly wanted three first-round picks plus two second-rounders last fall.
The entire Watson conversation between Payne and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.