"Everything you got for Deshaun doesn't count anymore" - NFL analyst says league could confiscate Texans’ draft picks acquired in Watson trade

Whatever Deshaun Watson's punishment is for several counts of sexual misconduct, it will leave a lasting mark on his NFL legacy. Even if he keeps his fully guaranteed money, he may have to settle for a spot on the couch all season instead of playing for his new franchise, the Cleveland Browns.

The Houston Texans, who many argue are also at fault for enabling Watson's behavior when he was in the team, cannot be suspended or fined the same way as the quarterback. But, according to one NFL analyst, the league needs to come up with a way to deincentivize this kind of behavior in the future.

Speaking on the Peacock and Williamson NFL Show, Matt Williamson speculated that the team may lose all the draft picks they acquired when they traded Watson to Cleveland in the offseason.

"All of a sudden, just looking at the compensation for the Watson trade. You look at it, and I know we're gonna talk about this trade from a historic perspective. Not only they might not get Watson but their picks are long gone."

He went on to explain that a monetary punishment might not achieve the same outcome as other kinds of sanctions.

"Those picks just vanish, period. The NFL [could] say, everything you got for Deshaun doesn't count anymore. You get nothing. [Right now,] if there's ramifications, fines, or 5 million bucks or whatever, that's substantial to me but not to them. Is it gonna cost them the picks they got back for Watson?"

Cleveland may have made a mistake in trading for Deshaun Watson

No. 4 at Cleveland Browns Press Conference

The Texans received six total picks when they traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns. They have already used part of the capital acquired in the trade, as two of the six picks were for this year's draft.

The team still has 2023 first and third-round picks and 2024 first and fourth-round picks to cash-in on. Moreover, the Texans don't have to worry about paying their quarterback big money anymore.

The Cleveland Browns are footing the bill, which is a hefty one. The quarterback signed a contract valued at $230 million that is essentially fully guaranteed. This means that even if he sits out the entire season, he will make almost every cent of his current deal. The deal runs for five years.

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