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Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was handed a massive reprieve as a grand jury dismissed the criminal charges levied against him on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The 26-year-old star has been accused of sexual misconduct by over two dozen women. However, no criminal charges will be pressed against the quarterback.
Watson, who hasn't been active on social media since July 2021, posted the following on his Twitter account today:
"When you stand on the TRUTH, the LORD will FREE you!"
The verdict was a massive relief for Watson; however, his legal troubles aren't in the rearview mirror just yet. As FOX Sports' Jay Glazer noted, the quarterback is still facing civil lawsuits from those that have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Deshaun Watson expected to be traded in the coming days
The NFL could still step in and reprimand Deshaun Watson, but that threat won't deter teams interested in acquiring the quarterback.
The Seattle Seahawks, who recently traded superstar quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, are expected to make a run at acquiring Watson. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost longtime starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to retirement, are also rumored to be among those that will throw their hat in the ring in the race to acquire the Houston Texans star.
Deshaun Watson last played in January 2021 in the Texans' 41-38 loss against the Tennessee Titans in the final game of the 2020 regular season. He finished the campaign with a league-high 4,823 passing yards, 33 passing touchdowns, and only seven interceptions.
The 26-year-old quarterback demanded a trade away from Houston in the 2021 offseason, but a slew of sexual misconduct allegations thwarted his plans to join a new team for the 2021 NFL season. Houston kept Watson away from the team for the entirety of the 2021 season but did not entertain any trade packages from teams that sought their star quarterback.
Teams willing to acquire Watson trod carefully in light of the sexual misconduct allegations due to the possibility of the quarterback facing a lengthy suspension or even jail time. But with his criminal charges dismissed, teams around the league looking for a quarterback will be dialing Texans general manager Nick Caserio's phone number to engage in trade conversations to land Watson.
Deshaun Watson's current contract doesn't run out until the end of the 2025 NFL season, meaning the Texans can bide their time and land a massive haul of picks and players for their MVP-calibre quarterback.
