No deal. At least, not today. The Dolphins will not trade for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson before the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross spent several weeks pushing his front office to get a deal done. However, he had “contingencies that needed to be met for any deal,” according to Schefter. Those contingencies likely pertain to the draft picks that would have been involved in the deal. The Dolphins reportedly wanted conditions to be attached to the picks in case Watson was held out of action by the league office. Texans GM Nick Caserio, meanwhile, has been unwilling to cave.
With that, the Dolphins will move forward with Tua Tagovailoa under center. That doesn’t guarantee Tagovailoa’s standing beyond 2021, but the young QB says that he’s made peace with the constant speculation.
“I don’t not feel wanted,” Tagovailoa said earlier this month (via ESPN.com). “I really don’t think about it. The only time I’m really hearing about it, like I’ve said before, is if [the communications staff] is kind of telling me what’s going on within the rumors or if my agent calls me. That’s really when I hear it. Other than that, I don’t really hear it.”
The Panthers, Broncos, and Eagles have also been connected to Watson in recent months. Watson, who holds a no-trade clause, tried to steer his way towards Miami or Carolina. After all the talk, the Texans are prepared to pay out the remainder of his $10.54MM salary and reevaluate their options in the offseason.
The saga continues…
Will Deshaun ever play again? Will Houston ever win a game again with or without him? Will the Dolphins somehow be worse than the Texans? Will Tua ever get enough help to be given a fair shot at proving himself?
Tune in tomorrow for the latest chapter of As Deshaun Watson Turns!
There is no next week for Watson. There is next March when half a dozen teams compete for his services.
There is also no future as a starting QB for Tua. The majority of NFL QBs could game manage with ideal surroundings. Should have never been a top 5 pick – awful injury and below average build and arm would have been premium pick red flags for a competent GM.
Cousins, Jimmy G, and plenty more average starting QB’s have spent plenty of years in the league making bucks.
Putting aside the charges for this comment; Watson was spectacular last season and the team still flopped (4-12). Even a great QB needs a line, running game, and WR’s. Miami has none of that.
Plus a defense. Texans 27th in Points Allowed in 2020.
Good call.
But you buy yourself a 10 year window if you acquire Watson. Much easier to improve around an Pro Bowl QB than to elevate a non elite QB.
Salary cap and injuries is the great equalizer to the pragmatic crowd. Too much parity and the QB position can’t be undervalued.
I don’t know the answer, but to throw away years of draft picks and players for him, the next 3 years will be bad for his next team. And losing that much, Watson will asked to be moved again.
M Stafford was worth two firsts and is having a MVP season. Without any charges. To me, that is the bar right now.
How does Miami improve if they have no draft assets and are suddenly on the hook for 35m to Watson next year? He’s not Tom Brady, so guys aren’t going there to play on the cheap due to previous connections.
I dunno, I think guys will want to play with Watson. At least, in consideration of his physical abilities.
Arty is right, though. Miami has spots of talent, but that good finish last year boosted their confidence a bit too much. The front office let a lot of contributors walk without replacing them, and the team paid the price for it. Hopefully for them they have identified the spots where they do need help and have committed to bringing in good players in those spots instead of just relying on the system.
For the last 20 years,Miami has drafted poorly and has never addressed OL nor their RBs plus many other positions I haven’t mentioned.
Whoever asked in the OBJ article for more articles about players who will not be traded, you got your wish.
How foolish do both these franchises look? Lol! For the Dolphins the smart thing would be to walk away (which I guess they did only after Houston moved the goalposts) from this, and for Houston it’d be to trade Watson for whatever you can get; but here they are in a blinking contest trying to see who can take the crown for biggest laughingstock. You just can’t make this up.
What makes anyone think this leopard will change his spots? 22 jacks we know about, probably many more not known
He’s gonna be a good boy all of a sudden?
No sale.
so they don’t want him to play for the Texans and they don’t want him to play for any other team either this same on them for trying to ruin a man’s career
DeShaun did more than enough to ruin his own career.
Who exactly is trying to ruin DeShaun Watson’s career??
As long as Watson doesn’t harm any pets or declare himself a Trump supporter he’ll be back on the field in 2022.