The Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins are still open to negotiating a trade that involves Deshaun Watson -- who's currently facing 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct plus 10 criminal complaints -- before the league's deadline on Tuesday afternoon.
But will a deal, complex and controversial, be finalized in the next 24 hours? No matter what happens, don't count on the embattled quarterback leaving Houston for any other city than Miami, according to CBS Sports NFL reporter Jonathan Jones.
"I won't be at all surprised if Watson is a Dolphin or remains a Texan. I will be stunned if any other scenario happens," Jones told the Reiter Than You show on Monday. "They've talked and then they haven't talked, and then they've both retreated to their respective corners. And the price is what the price is for Houston, the Dolphins have gone as far as they want to. But desperation, deadlines make people act in ways that they normally wouldn't.
"I don't think that the Texans are going to be changing their tune. I think that GM Nick Caserio might even drag this out to draft night 2022 if he has to. But for the Dolphins, maybe they get desperate enough, enough pressure from owner Stephen Ross to say, 'We wouldn't normally do this, but we've got two hours to make this call.' If I were a betting man, I'd have to say Watson is likely to remain a Texan at this exact moment. Only other option is the Dolphins."
According to a recent report from the Houston Chronicle, Ross has approved a trade for Watson, but wants his "legal issues resolved" and clarity from the NFL regarding potential punishment before officially completing the process. At this point, there's no reason to believe that Watson's serious legal matters will be settled this week or anytime soon.
Watson, who would reportedly waive his no-trade clause in a Dolphins deal, hasn't played a single snap this season, and remains under investigation by Houston police and the NFL. Last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that the league isn't ready to place Watson on the exempt list, which means, if dealt, he'd be able to play as soon as this coming weekend.
Caserio has reportedly asked for three first-round picks plus two second-rounders in exchange for Watson, whose four-year, $156 million contract extension doesn't kick in until 2022. As if the situation wasn't interesting enough, Houston (1-7) will visit Miami (1-7) in a Week 9 matchup Sunday.
The entire NFL conversation between Jones and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin