A week ago, the Texans and Dolphins were closing in on a deal for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Per multiple sources, the Dolphins wanted Watson to settle the 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Per multiple sources, once the Texans caught wind of the growing possibility that the 22 civil lawsuits would be settled, their price for Watson went up.
With no deal ever in place (and the Dolphins would concede that a deal was never reached), the Texans were free to ask for more, if/when they sensed that the Dolphins would be getting Watson with one of the two major branches of his legal portfolio resolved. (The 10 pending criminal complaints will remain in place until a grand jury decides whether to charge Watson.)
The increased demands caused the talks to crater. Now, the primary impediment is the gap between what the Texans want and what the Dolphins will offer. That could change as the deadline arrives, because in the NFL and most other businesses deadlines drive action.
If a trade is done, the expectation is that Watson will get the 22 civil cases settled. If a trade doesn’t happen, it’s expected that the civil cases won’t be resolved, at least not for now.
Either way, the deadline arrives on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET. Obviously, it will happen by then. Or it won’t.