Report: Carolina Panthers will 'aggressively' push for Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson will not be facing criminal charges, a grand jury decided on Friday, after facing nine different civil lawsuits. Now, the Houston Texans quarterback can get back to focusing on football and preparing for the 2022 season.

However, there’s a slim to none chance Watson will be wearing a Texans jersey the next time he is on the football field. Teams will be looking to trade for the former first-round pick, with the Carolina Panthers reportedly being one of the biggest suitors.

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Carolina will “aggressively make a run” at Watson after his name was cleared. After rotating between Sam Darnold and Cam Newton last season, the Panthers are desperate to find a long-term solution at quarterback with head coach Matt Rhule.

“Expect the Panthers to aggressively make a run at Deshaun Watson,” Person said via Twitter. “All interested teams likely would want to sit down with Watson, who has to sign off on any deal due to his no-trade clause.”

Watson will be wanted by more than just the Panthers, will the Texans most likely send him to the NFC. Other teams mentioned have been the New Orleans Saints and while they are in the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers are heavily being linked as well.

Lawyer of Deshaun Watson releases statement

Rusty Hardin, the lawyer of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, has released a statement following the announcement that a grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges Friday. Hardin said that while the results of criminal investigations were a big when for his client, he now seeks to resolve the remaining civil cases against Watson.

“We are delighted that the grand jury has looked at the matter thoroughly and reached the same conclusion we did,” Hardin said in the statement. Deshaun Watson did not commit any crimes and is not guilty of any offenses. Now that the criminal investigations have been completed, we are happy to move forward with the civil case depositions. We will vigorously defend those cases with every ounce that we have.”

The lawyer went on to accuse the plaintiffs of seeking a “big pay day,” saying there is little evidence against Watson.

“There were no crimes committed here but it is a plaintiffs’ attorney churning up negative press and churning up his clients hoping for a big pay day,” the statement continued. “These cases have been the product of a lawyer maximizing his own personal publicity at the expense of others, including his own clients.

“It is time to let Deshaun move on.”