Topline
The Houston Texans are working out a trade that will send quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, who will reportedly sign him to a five-year, $230 million deal – the richest fully guaranteed contract in NFL history – a week after a grand jury in Houston decided Watson would not be criminally charged after 24 women accused him of sexual misconduct.
Key Facts
Watson confirmed earlier reports of the trade in an Instagram post Friday afternoon.
Watson informed the Texans he was willing to waive his contract’s no-trade clause in order to play for Cleveland, according to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter.
The trade compensation hasn’t been finalized, but according to ESPN, the Texans are likely to get three first-round selections, a third-round pick and a late fourth-round pick, and send the Browns a fifth-round pick along with Watson.
Watson’s new $230 million contract, reported by NFL Network’s Adam Rapoport, is $80 million more than the previous previous $150 million record for fully guaranteed cash at signing.
Watson will replace Baker Mayfield, who requested to be traded this week.
Watson first requested to be traded from the Texans in January 2021 and sat out last season.
Key Background
Watson was one of the NFL’s rising stars and the the league’s seventh-highest-paid player when he was accused of sexual assault in 2021 by a massage therapist who filed a lawsuit against him, saying he exposed himself and made innopropriate contact with her during a March 2020 appointment. Since then, 23 more women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. Last week, a Houston grand jury decided not to bring criminal charges against Watson, but he still has 22 civil lawsuits to contend with and began depositions last week, according to the New York Times. Watson has denied any wrongdoing.
Further Reading
Deshaun Watson’s Sexual Assault Scandal Threatens Millions In Endorsements As Nike Is First To Flee (Forbes)
Report: Deshaun Watson Requests Trade From Houston Texans (Forbes)
