CHARLOTT, North Carolina – The Carolina Panthers will make an “aggressive” offer for Deshawn Watson as soon as the Houston quarterback waives the no-trade clause so they can negotiate with the Texans, a league source told ESPN.
According to the source, problems with the abolition of this item are not expected.
The Panthers attempted to trade the 26-year-old Watson early last offseason before reports surfaced of 22 lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints of sexual harassment against a three-time Pro Bowl selection. After that, they retreated.
On Friday, a grand jury in Houston voted not to file criminal charges against Watson, leaving only lawsuits alleging sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions against the former Clemson star.
This increased interest from many teams other than Carolina. Seattle, which traded Russell Wilson to Denver earlier this week, is also expected to beat Watson heavily, according to the source. It is reported that New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Cleveland are also interested in the project.
Houston can agree to a trade at any time, but it can’t be formalized until the league’s new year starts at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
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All teams understand that the NFL can suspend Watson for a certain number of games if it finds that he has violated the league’s personal code of conduct.
In 2010, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for six games for violating a code of conduct after he was accused of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student after a night of drinking in Milledgeville, Georgia. This suspension was reduced to four games.
The Steelers went 12-4 in the regular season and made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost 31-25 to Green Bay. Panthers owner David Tepper, who was the driving force behind Carolina’s pursuit of Watson, was then a minority owner in Pittsburgh.
“It’s the most important position on the field,” Tepper said of the quarterback in December 2021, when he fired general manager Marty Hurney with two games left in the season. “If you don’t have a guy who can take you to the playoffs and the Super Bowls for sure, you’re going to have to constantly reevaluate that because the only thing that matters is the Super Bowls.”
The Panthers tried to improve the quarterback position last offseason after waiving Watson. They made an offer to Detroit for Matthew Stafford, who moved to the Rams. They eventually traded to the New York Jets for Sam Darnold, who started 4–7.
They also opted for a fifth year option for Darnold, so they are stuck with his $18.9 million cap in 2022.
As first reported by Pro Football Network, a source has confirmed that no team is believed to have done more due diligence in investigating Watson’s claims than Carolina. Therefore, the team is comfortable moving forward.
The Texans reportedly requested three first-round picks, more draft picks, and at least one player for Watson. The Panthers are poised to take a step that they don’t think will lay the groundwork for the future, the source said.
The Carolinas’ only unsellable player appears to be defenseman Jeremy Chinn, who moved into his third year.
Of the teams interested in Watson, Carolina has the highest first-round pick (No. 6) in this year’s draft. Seattle pick ninth with Denver’s pick after trading Wilson. Philadelphia 15th, 16th and 19th, New Orleans 18th, Pittsburgh 20th, Cleveland 13th and Tampa Bay 27th.
The Colts have no first round pick in 2022.
Houston already owns the third pick.
Whichever team acquires Watson will receive a $35 million salary cap for 2022. The Panthers, who only have about $31 million in their ceiling and only about $13 million to use for free agents, could create enough room to make this work.
Watson, because of the no-trade clause, still has a lot of say in where he goes. Since asking the Texans for a deal in January 2021, he’s reportedly turned down the Miami-only clause.
Since then, the Dolphins have stopped chasing Watson, general manager Chris Grier recently said at an NFL training camp in Indianapolis.
Watson is from Gainesville, Georgia, a little over three hours from Charlotte, and played at Clemson, two and a half hours from Charlotte.
Watson, speaking to reporters at a press conference outside his attorney’s office on Friday, said the past year has been “emotional for me.”
He offered no timetable for what would happen next.
“I know we’re a long way from figuring out what we need to do on the legal side, but today is definitely a big day,” he said. “I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that the truth has been heard. And I thank everyone who was a part of this for seeing and hearing both sides. we told our side of the story and let it come to a conclusion about what happened today and that’s what the grand jury decided.
“I’m just going to keep fighting to restore my name and reputation in the community. And on the legal side, handle what we need to do. But also ready to go on the field and prepare for it.”