The plethora of sexual assault allegations that emerged this past week was assumed to hurt quarterback Deshaun Watson's trade value, and perhaps it has. However, that doesn't mean that teams aren't interested at all, despite the developing situation. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle named six teams that "remain interested" and are monitoring the situation surrounding the lawsuits (h/t to Pro Football Talk).
The San Francisco 49ers are among the teams that Wilson names are still interested in the young Pro Bowl quarterback, should he become available, per Wilson's unnamed sources. The others are the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Denver Broncos.
Wilson is at odds with his team, the Houston Texans, and has clearly stated that he has no desire to play for them again. Meanwhile, the Texans express no desire to trade the quarterback.
"Watson, who's currently facing seven filed lawsuits from Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, had a strong reputation as a high-character individual with no off-field incidents until this series of accusations unfolded this week," wrote Wilson. "NFL special counsel for investigations Lisa Friel, a former prosecutor, is conducting an investigation into whether Watson has violated the league's personal conduct policy."
Watson is signed through the 2025 season with a manageable base salary of $10.5 million this year, per OverTheCap.com. That number jumps to $35 million in 2022.
Wilson spoke with one unidentified NFL executive who told him, "We need to know more facts before making a firm decision on a trade, but, yes, we're still interested. How could you not be interested in Deshaun Watson possibly being your quarterback? The guy is an incredible talent."
Wilson denied any wrongdoing when Buzbee announced the first pending lawsuit.
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