Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who's facing 22 lawsuits alleging acts of sexual assault and misconduct and 10 criminal complaints, hasn't backed off on a trade request that he initially made in January.
But don't count on the 25-year-old Pro Bowler leaving the organization anytime soon. Contrary to a recent report that trade talks between Houston and the Philadelphia Eagles were "heating up," the franchise is still far from moving Watson, according to Houston Chronicle NFL reporter John McClain.
"The Eagles are one of the teams that's let them know that they're going to be interested, don't trade him without getting back to us, and [the Texans] said they would. But there's no trade talks going on at all," McClain told the Tiki and Tierney show on Thursday. "But if you've got Jalen Hurts, who's 1-3 as a starter and you can have him or Deshaun Watson, of course you'd rather have Watson, under normal circumstances.
"Just like Miami would rather have Watson over Tua Tagovailoa, Denver would rather have him over Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, and Carolina would rather have him over Sam Darnold. All those teams are interested in him, and that's why it'd be best to wait before the next draft to trade him, when there might be six or seven teams that know then they're not happy with their quarterback and they'd be interested in Watson..."
Watson, who reported to Texans training camp on time last week only to avoid daily holdout fines, has missed three straight practices due to apparent calf and ankle tightness. Houston's first padded practice took place on Tuesday.
Last week, the NFL released a statement regarding Watson's legal situation, saying that the league's investigation "remains ongoing and active," and that they're not restricting Watson's participation in team activities at this time. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could still place Watson on the exempt list, which would keep him from playing but allow him to get paid until his serious legal matters are resolved.
Watson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and carries a $15 million cap hit. Last September, he agreed to terms on a four-year, $156 million contract extension that could possibly keep him with the Texans until 2025.
The entire Watson conversation between McClain and Tiki and Tierney can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Tiki and Tierney Show on Twitter @TikiAndTierney and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.