The Miami Dolphins, after engaging in conversation with the Houston Texans, have decided not to execute a trade that would have brought quarterback Deshaun Watson to Miami, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross ultimately pulled the plug on the trade.
Ross reportedly had specific contingencies that included Watson having his legal issues settled before a trade would be made. Ross also wanted to make sure Watson would not be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list in the event he was traded. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Oct. 26 that the league is still determining whether or not Watson would be placed on the exempt list.
Watson is the subject of 22 civil suits filed this past spring which accuse him of coercive and lewd sexual behavior, with two suits that allege him of sexual assault. Watson has not been charged criminally, and he and his lawyer have denied the accusations.
Watson, who is in the second year of a four-year contract that includes $111 million guaranteed, has been inactive for each of the Texans’ games this season. Tyrod Taylor started the season’s first two games before suffering an injury. Davis Mills has been under for Houston for the past six weeks. While he has completed 67% of his throws, Mills has yet to win a start and has thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (seven) this season.
The Dolphins are currently mired in a losing streak that reached seven games following Sunday’s 26-11 loss in Buffalo. Over the past month, there has been constant speculation about the future of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is in the middle of his second season in Miami. Despite the rumors and the Dolphins’ communication with the Texans, head coach Brian Flores recently offered his public support of Tagovailoa.
“I think I’ve said this multiple times, ‘Tua is our quarterback,”http://www.cbssports.com/” Flores said prior to last Sunday’s game, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jones. “I don’t get into rumors, I don’t get into speculation — Tua is our quarterback. … I’m focused on our team; I’m focused on our quarterback, and that’s Tua.”
While the Dolphins move forward with Tagovailoa, Watson will remain with the Texans until the offseason, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. That’s when trade talks will re-emerge, with Houston wanting significant compensation and Watson wanting a fresh start.
