Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans are set to part ways.
He is looking to leave the Texans, and the team is looking to trade him for a king’s ransom.
The Texans have multiple teams interested in trading for Watson.
The trade sweepstakes for him kicked off shortly after the dismissal of criminal charges.
Those legal issues were part of why the Texans wanted to trade Watson.
He wants to leave the Texans due to inconsistency with the organization.
Teams looking to trade for Watson will have three risks to look at before finalizing a deal.
3. Possible Civil Suit Against Watson
Watson is out of the woods with criminal charges against him.
However, he could risk having a civil suit issued against him.
If there is a civil case against Watson, the NFL will have to step in.
Civil cases are not uncommon after a ruling on criminal cases.
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murder charges in 1995.
However, he would face a civil suit by the family members of the deceased.
Watson could have the same fate, putting his NFL career in trouble again.
2. Possibility Of NFL Suspending Watson At Start Of The Season
The NFL could suspend Watson when the season starts under the NFL conduct policy.
Ben Roethlisberger served a four-game suspension when accused of sexual assault in 2010.
Even though Big Ben’s charges ended in dismissal, he still served a four-game suspension.
The NFL might explore this option with Watson.
Rodger Goodell is tough on players who do things that negatively affect the NFL.
His suspending Watson wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility.
A suspension will put the team with Watson without a quarterback until the suspension is over.
Depending on how long a possible suspension might last, it could hurt a team’s chances at the playoffs.
A prolonged suspension would mean the team gave up precious draft capital for a player that can’t play.
A suspension will also prevent him from practicing with the team or attending meetings.
The dire consequences are more profound than what some might expect.
1. A Risk Of Alienating A Fan Base
The most considerable risk, and one that some don’t see, is how a trade for Watson can alienate a fan base.
He is a talented quarterback in the NFL.
However, some fans have their preconceived notions of Watson.
NFL fans aired their concerns with Watson online.
Trying to gauge the fan base.
Do you want the Panthers to trade for Deshaun Watson?
Feel free to leave a comment with further explanation.
— Panthers 24/7 (@Panthers24_7) March 12, 2022
Carolina Panthers fans voiced their concerns on Twitter with their team looking to trade for Watson.
Lord please don’t let The owner of the Carolina Panthers trade half the team and #1 picks for the next 4 years for Watson.
— Rell (@RellyyRellzz) March 12, 2022
While they weren’t the only ones, they were the loudest ones.
That is due to people seeing the Panthers as the favorite to acquire Watson at that time.
While the Panthers are aggressively going after him, some fans don’t like the idea.
Am I the only Carolina Panthers fan that doesn't want Deshaun Watson? Aside from what he's done, I don't want them to trade the future for one player.
— Слава Україні JT (@Jaberuski) March 12, 2022
Losing a fan base would be the worst outcome for a team.
Fans are the life-blood of every NFL team.
Without those fans, NFL teams wouldn’t be around for all to enjoy.
If teams can’t survive the optics of a Watson trade, the trade could end as a fatal mistake for the team.
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