Lovie Smith is not avoiding the big elephant in the room when it comes to Deshaun Watson.
The new Houston Texans head coach isn’t looking to let any uncertainty about Deshaun Watson’s future with the team to drag on throughout the offseason.
Smith told The MMQB’s Albert Breer he wants the matter resolved “as soon as possible”:
“I’m not running away from the question, but as soon as possible. There are things that need to be taken care of before the football part comes into play. We’re patient, we’ve waited an entire year and I just feel like this offseason, it’ll come to an end and we’ll get it solved and it’ll be good for both parties, whatever that might be. There’s no other answer to give right now except for that one, and we’re going to try to get it resolved as soon as we possibly can.”
Watson is still dealing with 22 lawsuits tied to allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Ten women have also filed criminal complaints with Houston police.
Aside from a statement released after the first allegation, the QB has not spoken out about his situation at all with the media.
While the NFL has yet to levy any suspension against the three-time Pro Bowler, the Texans decided to make him a healthy scratch for all games in 2021. His legal issues are one thing, but he also demanded a trade before the allegations.
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In October, the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain reported the Miami Dolphins had agreed to the general structure of a trade involving Watson. However, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted more clarity while the Texans decided to go up on their asking price after finding out Watson was trying to setle his lawsuits.
As of now, nothing has been settled.
Davis Mills started 11 games as a rookie with Watson unavailable in 2021. He threw for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes.
