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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the first 11 games of the 2022 season after sitting out the entire 2021 campaign.
Watson tried to force a trade out of Houston ahead of last season and although he wasn't suspended by the league, he still didn't play. He was also fined $5 million.
Pro Football Talk analyst Mike Florio shed light on Watson's situation.
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"The $5 million fine counts as half of the salary he made last year. It is a de facto half-season unpaid suspension. And I know there are people out there (and I assume they're smarter than this) who say, 'Oh, that doesn't count as paid leave.' Last year he didn't want to play for the Texans. They didn't want him playing for them. They were going to trade. That's right."
Florio added that the Texans would have traded Watson to the Dolphins if he didn't have civil cases pending against him.
Florio added:
"They would have traded him to the Dolphins if he didn't have these issues. He would have played last year without these issues. He did serve a paid suspension. So you've taken half of the money that he made last year. So 11 becomes 19 and a half, as a practical matter, almost 20 full games."
Deshaun Watson was almost traded to the Miami Dolphins last season
While Watson missed all of last season because he wanted a trade out of Houston, he was nearly sent to the Miami Dolphins.
Miami was always Watson's first choice. The Dolphins were ready to pull the trigger, but under one condition: every single civil case had to be settled.
At the time, 20 of the 22 cases had been settled. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wasn't comfortable with the other two cases remaining unsettled, so he never made the trade happen.
Miami didn't want the uncertainty surrounding Watson. They didn't know if he would go to jail, be suspended for more than a season, or receive a minor punishment, which is they didn't push for a trade.
The Browns, meanwhile, will be without the quarterback for the first 11 games. He will be eligible to return in Week 13 against the Houston Texans.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk, and H/T Sportskeeda.
