The race for Houston Texans quarterback Deshawn Watson comes down to the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints after the Carolina Panthers were informed Thursday they were out of the race, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Cleveland Browns were also informed earlier Thursday that they were out, the source said.
Sources told Schefter that the Falcons on Thursday moved a $7.5 million roster bonus owed to quarterback Matt Ryan from Friday to Tuesday. The move gives Atlanta four additional days to hear Watson’s decision and be able to trade Ryan if necessary.
The Saints also took several steps earlier Thursday to gobble up Watson’s $35 million salary in a potential deal, ESPN source Field Yates told ESPN, restructuring the contracts of quarterback Tysome Hill, defensemen Bradley Robey and Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker Demario Davis to leave the team at 29. .9 million dollars of cap space
Watson did not play last season due to an off-season trade request and 22 lawsuits against him for alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions.
Last Friday, a Texas grand jury refused to indict Watson on criminal charges, which means the criminal case against him in Harris County is dropped and trade negotiations between the Texans and the teams concerned begin.
The lawsuits, which are separate from the criminal case, are still pending. Watson answered questions about two of the 22 lawsuits filed against him during Tuesday’s current testimony.