Report: Browns, Saints, Panthers Had Deshaun Watson Trade Offers Approved by Texans

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson met with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints in recent days, but those teams reportedly had to clear a hurdle before getting to sit down with him.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported that Houston approved teams to meet with Watson only after their trade packages were approved by the organization.

According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Atlanta Falcons are scheduled to meet with Watson on Wednesday. It can be presumed that Atlanta has a trade package approved by Houston as well. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only NFC South team not to propose a trade for Watson, thanks to the unretirement of Tom Brady on Sunday.

With Houston reportedly agreeing to multiple trade packages, it appears that the team is eager and willing to move on from Watson after he sat out the entire 2021 season amid 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints by women accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct.

On Friday, a grand jury in Texas decided not to indict Watson on criminal charges. But the civil lawsuits are still active, and the NFL could discipline him under the personal conduct policy after the league completes its own investigation.

While the Texans might favor one trade package over the others, the decision will ultimately come down to Watson. The three-time Pro Bowler has a no-trade clause, giving him the power to control his destiny.