The race to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is down to the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints after the Carolina Panthers were informed on Thursday they were out of the running, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Cleveland Browns were also informed earlier Thursday that they were out, a source said.
The Falcons on Thursday pushed back the $7.5 million roster bonus due to quarterback Matt Ryan from Friday to Tuesday, sources told Schefter. The move gives Atlanta four extra days to hear Watson’s decision and be able to trade Ryan if necessary.
The Saints also made multiple moves earlier Thursday to absorb Watson’s $35 million salary in a potential trade, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates, restructuring the contracts of quarterback Taysom Hill, defensive backs Bradley Roby and Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker Demario Davis to leave the team with $29.9 million in cap space
Watson did not play last season following an offseason request to be traded and the emergence of 22 lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.
A Texas grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges last Friday, signaling the end of criminal proceedings related to him in Harris County and kickstarting trade talks between the Texans and interested teams.
The lawsuits, which are separate from the criminal case, are still pending. Watson answered questions on two of the 22 lawsuits filed against him during ongoing depositions Tuesday.