Houston Texans embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson, who won't face any criminal charges for allegations of sexual misconduct, is returning to court on Tuesday to testify in his civil cases, and expected to answer critical questions without invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Watson did the opposite when he was deposed last week.
Suffice to say, Tuesday will be a pivotal moment for Watson and teams that've expressed strong interest in acquiring him. According to multiple reports, two NFC South rivals, the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, are slated to meet with him this week, and have already made offers. Although it's unclear how big Watson's trade market is, he appears to have a preference between the aforementioned teams, according to CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora.
"I hear that he's a lot more bullish on New Orleans than Carolina, right now... There's certainly places he's not interested in going," La Canfora explained to The Zach Gelb Show on Monday. "[The Saints] are a much better team, much better recent track record. They have a history, under GM Mickey Loomis, of contending, year in and year out. There's a lot of questions about Matt Rhule and his future [in Carolina]... Does he want to go back, close to Clemson?
"Is he looking for that sort of narrative or not? I think there's personal things, football things, and big picture things. But again, a billionaire who becomes completely fixated on a certain outcome can be willing to do extraordinary things... I'd understand why New Orleans is significantly more attractive right now. But then there's also going to be the price that has to be paid, and the team's ultimately got to be comfortable with the degree of compensation."
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.
Last month, the Saints introduced defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as the next head coach and successor to Sean Payton. The organization has yet to find a long-term replacement for Drew Brees, who announced his retirement after the 2020 campaign. Due to injuries, poor performances, and COVID-19 headaches, the Saints played four quarterbacks over 17 games in 2021, and were the only team that failed to produce a single 300-yard passing game.
The entire NFL conversation between La Canfora and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.