The Carolina Panthers Aren’t Pursuing Deshaun Watson Despite Their Struggles At Quarterback
The Carolina Panthers Aren’t Pursuing Deshaun Watson Despite Their Struggles At Quarterback
The Carolina Panthers won’t be looking to acquire Deshaun Watson, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who claims the team’s owner is not keen on pursuing a trade for the quarterback at the moment.
Watson hasn’t played in a single game for the Houston Texans this season and is facing 22 civil suits, having been accused of sexual assault and misconduct during massage sessions. A criminal investigation is also ongoing, with the FBI reportedly involved now.
The QB isn’t an active member of the Texans roster amid the saga but hasn’t been charged with a crime. He had requested a trade before the accusations surfaced and, given that the November trade deadline is looming, there have been questions of whether teams will be interested in the 26-year old as his future is uncertain.
According to other reports, the Miami Dolphins have agreed to a trade for Watson but there are two people standing in the way, including the player himself.
“A few hours after Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross brushed away questions about possible interest in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, a new report from longtime Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain indicated that Watson and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell are the only things now standing in the way of a trade,” Sports Illustrated reports.
“Per McClain, the Dolphins and Texans have agreed on compensation and Ross has signed off on the deal, but on the condition that Watson settles his legal issues stemming from 22 accusations of sexual misconduct and that he gets some sort of indication from Goodell as to whether and for how many games Watson would be suspended under the league’s personal conduct policy.”
“We don’t have all the access to that information and pride ourselves on not interfering with it,” Goodell was quoted as saying in a meeting with team owners this week. “That process is ongoing … We don’t feel we have that necessary information to place him on the exempt list.”
Watson also has a no-trade clause in his contract that he could point to if the Texans want to trade him to an unfavorable destination. So far, the player has waived that clause for the Dolphins, who have been interested in him for several months despite the coaching staff opting to support Tua Tagovailoa. It will be interesting to see whether Miami, or any other team, bends to the Texans’ trade demands.
The Panthers have apparently removed themselves from the race but Rappoport reports they could revisit the possibility of a trade during the offseason. Clubs would have a clearer picture as it pertains to the player’s future then.
Speculation over a potential acquisition picked up speed after coach Matt Rhule benched starting quarterback Sam Darnold early in the fourth quarter of the 25-3 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
“Just felt like we needed somewhat of a spark,” the coach explained, per ESPN. “Sam will be our quarterback next week. He will be our quarterback moving forward.”
This came in the wake of Rhule backing the QB ahead of Sunday’s showing. “I believe Sam is going to be a great quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, and I haven’t done any work on anyone else,” he told Giants beat writers during a conference call on Thursday. “He’s my focus, and I expect him to play his best football moving forward. I’m not looking anywhere else.”
Rhule pointed out what’s changed in Darnold’s game over the span of the last four games. The Panthers got off to a very positive start, going 3-0 in their first three games. Four consecutive losses have left them with a record of 3-4. North Carolina sports betting avenues have widened odds on the team’s prospects as a result of the slip.
“Throwing on time, taking the open receiver, being patient, protecting the football, not throwing off his back foot,” the coach remarked. “He had some times on third down where guys were open. We’re predetermining the thinking. Again, I can understand young quarterbacks go through that. We’re obviously not coaching Sam well enough.
“This isn’t about Sam. We needed more from the run game. We needed some explosive plays. We needed some big catches.
“I’ve been on record. Quarterbacks go through ups and downs. Sam’s got to take care of the football. Sam’s got to throw on time. If it’s not there, he’s got to find a checkdown. We can’t be driving with a chance to take the lead and throw an interception.
“His sense of urgency this week, I expect to be heightened.”
The Panthers will be sticking with Darnold for the foreseeable future but, if he’s unable to recover from the slump, the team will definitely be in the market for a quarterback in the offseason.