Former NFL general manager Randy Mueller thinks teams would be insane to trade for Deshaun Watson.
At the moment, the Houston Texans star faces more than 20 lawsuits alleging sexual assault and misconduct. While the NFL has cleared him to participate in team activities for the time being, there’s no guarantee he’ll play this season. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Despite that fact, teams are still interested in trading for him.
NFL statement regarding its “ongoing and active” review of allegations against #Texans QB Deshaun Watson, who remains eligible to fully participate in club activities. pic.twitter.com/u3U7ujYozO
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 27, 2021
Mueller, who was the GM of the Dolphins and Saints, thinks teams would be out of their minds to trade for the Texans QB.
“I think it would be suicidal…I don’t know if (Watson) plays this year at all. I don’t know how he could,” Mueller told NJ Advance Media.
Deshaun Watson’s NFL Future Gets A Huge Update. Here’s What Fans Need To Know https://t.co/kAPZkjmB5u
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 25, 2021
He further added, “I don’t know that they’re going to be able to vet it completely. I don’t know that the league is going to come clean with their investigation, and I think they’ve purposely put the brakes on it, thinking that it would take its legal course first. There’s just a lot of open-ended questions that I don’t think are vettable at this point.”
Deshaun Watson is working out. He posts on social media (IG story) for the first time since March 16 – the evening he released his statement that he was aware of a lawsuit & he looked forward to clearing his name. #NFL #Texans pic.twitter.com/RmZv2deRHn
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) May 19, 2021
This is pretty much what I’ve been saying ever since the allegations against Watson started coming out. I’m not sure how you can trade for him.
What happens if you send Houston three first round picks and then Roger Goodell suspends him for a season? The GM who signed off on that deal is 100% getting fired.
The #Texans are now willing to listen — and have been for some time — to trade offers for star QB Deshaun Watson, multiple sources tell me and @RapSheet. But the price is high for a player of his caliber, and should be. It’d likely take at least three first-round picks and more.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 26, 2021
It’s simply way too risky of a situation, and I don’t see any team pulling the trigger on Watson unless the asking price drops substantially.
When he reported to camp Sunday, Watson was respectful, but his demeanor reiterated he doesn’t want to be in Houston. The question is, will a team step up with the type of massive offer that would compel the #Texans to move him now? Watson also would have to waive his no-trade.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 26, 2021
We’ll see what happens, but I agree 100% with Mueller.