That’s disappointing, but not terribly surprising. Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, a longtime Houston-based reporter on the Texans beat, reported Friday evening that the New Orleans Saints are one of many teams exploring a potential trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson, of course, was cleared of criminal charges earlier Friday afternoon despite facing 22 civil suits against him alleging sexual misconduct. With no criminal charges coming, Watson is now cleared to facilitate a trade to another team.
That doesn’t mean that Watson is innocent or that the 22 different women accusing him of predatory behavior are lying — in the eyes of the court, there wasn’t enough evidence to warrant further action. That’s a frustratingly bleak reality for many sexual abuse survivors in America today, and we can’t afford to just gloss over it.
But teams will overlook a lot of baggage if a player is talented enough. The Pittsburgh Steelers overlooked Ben Roethlisberger’s sexual assault allegations. So did the Saints themselves when bringing in Jameis Winston and his own history of not keeping his hands off of women. Whichever team trades for Watson, and one almost certainly will, is going to be prepared to accept a possible NFL suspension and the negative public reaction to the move in hopes that they’ll start winning games and fans will forget about it eventually. It isn’t right. It’s the reality we’re in.
Odds are low, though, that Watson lands with New Orleans. Because he has a no-trade clause written into his contract, just like ex-Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, he has a lot of control in where his career goes next. Wilson’s reporting at Pro Football Network names the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks as better-motivated teams seeking to acquire Watson, with the Cleveland Browns also in the mix. All of those teams have better draft picks and more desperation to get Watson than the Saints do. Maybe Watson would have strong interest in New Orleans if Sean Payton were still head coach, but they may not be a preferred destination for him.
As was the case in the Seahawks trading Wilson to the Denver Broncos, any team acquiring Watson is going to have to pay a king’s ransom with multiple high draft picks and several players. Elite quarterbacks become available only rarely, and Houston is still going to demand a premium for Watson despite his baggage, negative press, and the distractions it brings.
So let’s hope New Orleans’ interest here was only cursory, in seeking to decide whether the price to pay to get Watson was too much compared to just running it back with Winston this year, or going in a new direction at quarterback altogether. They do owe it to themselves to commit their due diligence and explore all options, even some that would turn off many ardent supporters. It’s an actively changing situation. Stay tuned to see how it develops in the days ahead.
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