On Sunday, it was reported that Deshaun Watson would be reporting to training camp for the Houston Texans to avoid being fined $50,000 a day. However, Rapoport says his stance on wanting out of Houston has not changed.
Under the new CBA agreed to last year, players are fined a mandatory $50,000 for each day of training camp they hold out. By reporting on time, Watson avoids this fine.
According to one report, if and when he is finally dealt away, there is one team that seems to be leading the pack to obtain him: The Philadelphia Eagles.
“There’s only three teams, in talking to people around the league, that I know of, that really have the strong desire,” Philadelphia Eagles radio sideline reporter Howard Eskin said this week on SportsRadio 94WIP Midday Show, per 247Sports. “That would be Denver, Miami — who, they gave away their first-round pick to the Eagles, so that really weakens their position, because I think they’re starting to realize that Tua (Tagovailoa) is a stiff.
“But the Eagles have the three first-round picks, and that’s what they’re gonna have, and this is the prediction I’m going to make: based on the information that I got, when — and I’ll say when — he is traded, I think there is a 90 percent chance that he will be with the Philadelphia Eagles. And just based on all the information that I’ve gotten, that’s what I’ve come down to.”
The Eagles also can sweeten a deal due to them having 10 selections in the 2022 NFL Draft and could put together a nice package in a potential blockbuster deal.
The worst case scenario for Watson is that he could be placed on unpaid leave by the NFL this season stemming from the multiple lawsuits against him.
Attorney Rusty Hardin, who represents Watson, said the NFL has not interviewed his client about the sexual assault allegations from 22 women that led to a civil lawsuit, according to KPRC-TV.
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“If you look at the timeline on this, barring a drastic sea change, Deshaun Watson will not be playing in an NFL game until at the very minimum 2023,” Maller said earlier this summer on The Ben Maller Show. “That’s the earliest. If everything plays out the way it’s playing out, he’s going to be done until at least 2023. How did I get to that point? He’s going to be put on the Commissioner’s Exempt List – that’s going to happen likely in the next month before training camp opens up.
“That means he will be out for the balance of the 2021 season. He will be getting a paid vacation.”
