Many will say that the absence of a trade of quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Texans to the Dolphins means that a trade was never going to happen.
Undermining that view of reality is the fact that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross received permission to speak to Watson.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that permission was granted on Monday night. Obviously, the Texans would have had no reason to authorize such communications if there was zero chance of a trade happening.
As PFT has reported, the two sides were closing in on a deal last week. Then, the Texans caught wind of a potential settlement of the 22 civil lawsuits pending against Watson -- and they drove up the price. Talks cratered, and the two sides never reached a deal.
The fact that permission was granted to the Dolphins to speak directly to Watson shows that, as of last night, a deal was still possible. Ultimately, the two sides couldn’t come together on an agreement.
As a result, Watson will remain with the Texans, at least until March 16, 2022, the first day of the next trading period.
