Deshaun Watson Trade Rumors: Teams Interested If 10 Criminal Complaints Are Resolved

Multiple NFL teams are reportedly willing to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson this offseason as long as the 10 criminal complaints filed against him are resolved.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Thursday the unnamed teams are willing to move forward with trade talks under those circumstances, even if the 22 civil lawsuits brought against Watson remain active.

Rusty Hardin, Watson's attorney, said during a court hearing Monday he expects Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg to decide by April 1 whether to file criminal charges based on the complaints lodged against Watson, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop.

The 26-year-old Georgia native didn't play during the 2021 season following the allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions, though he wasn't suspended by the NFL or placed on the commissioner's exempt list.

Houston kept him on its active roster and declared him inactive for each of its 17 games.

Watson requested a trade last January before the criminal complaints and civil lawsuits were filed. He's under contract through 2025 as part of a four-year, $156 million deal.

Last month, Texans general manager Nick Caserio was asked during an appearance on Houston's SportsRadio 610 (via Chase Goodbread of NFL.com) whether the quarterback would return in 2022.

"There's been some commentary that more than likely would not be the case," Caserio said. "I think we just have to be open-minded and just take the information and process it. Then ultimately make the decision we feel makes the most sense for everybody involved, whatever that looks like."

From a football perspective, Watson has been one of the NFL's best quarterbacks since the Texans selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 14,539 yards with 104 passing touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 54 career regular-season games. He's added 1,677 rushing yards and 17 scores on the ground.

If traded and cleared to play in 2022, he could transform a fringe playoff team into a championship contender.

Meanwhile, the Texans are staring down another rebuild after posting a 4-13 record in 2021, and a Watson deal would probably bring in some resources to help accelerate the process.