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Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson's road to returning to the NFL cleared a significant hurdle on Friday. A grand jury ruled that no criminal charges related to sexual misconduct allegations levied against the quarterback can be pressed due to a lack of substantial evidence.
Following the verdict, the 26-year-old quarterback's agent David Mulugheta sent out a tweet that read:
"Keep the same energy..."
The tweet was seemingly a subtle dig at Watson's detractors.
Deshaun Watson is likely to find a new team soon
David Mulugheta will be a busy man in the coming days as he will field calls from teams around the NFL interested in acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, who will want to understand if the quarterback is willing to join their franchise.
Watson is still facing civil lawsuits and could be reprimanded by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. But that likely won't deter teams in their quest to acquire the Texans' star quarterback.
Watson last suited up for Houston in the team's 41-38 loss against the Tennessee Titans in their final game of the 2020 regular season. He finished the campaign with 4,823 passing yards, 33 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The 26-year-old quarterback demanded a trade in the ensuing months but found himself stuck in Houston, as teams were unwilling to meet the Texans' demands in light of the sexual misconduct allegations levied against the quarterback.
Houston decided to bench Watson for the entire season to avoid distractions. The Texans were unwilling to trade their star quarterback last year but have softened their stance since and are looking to grant his wish of a move away from the team. The Texans are reportedly seeking multiple first-round picks and players from teams interested in acquiring Watson.
The Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and Ben Roethlisberger to retirement, respectively, are reportedly the frontrunners in the race to land Watson. The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also rumored to be interested in landing the 26-year-old quarterback.
Mulugheta recently told CBS Sports' Josina Anderson that he hasn't spoken to any team regarding a potential trade. He was quoted saying:
"“We haven’t had any talks among ourselves or with teams about possible destinations as we are focused on clearing Deshaun’s name at this time.”
With Watson temporarily out of hot water, NFL insiders expect teams interested in landing the quarterback to move quickly.
