Report: Dolphins opt against pursuing Watson deal as trade deadline passes

The Miami Dolphins passed on trading for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson prior to Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly "had contingencies that needed to be met" and made the final decision not to move forward, add Schefter

Watson wasn't able to settle his legal situation in order to facilitate the trade, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Texans granted the Dolphins permission to speak to Watson on Monday night, but there wasn't enough time to come to an agreement, Rapoport reports.

The quarterback, who's been a healthy scratch for the first eight weeks of the season amid police and NFL investigations, is facing lawsuits from 22 women who say he sexually assaulted them or committed sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Ten women filed criminal complaints.

Miami was seemingly the only serious suitor for Watson after the Carolina Panthers reportedly ended their interest. He's now expected to remain on Houston's roster for the rest of the season, after which the team could try again, Schefter adds.

It was reported Sunday that many in the Texans organization wanted to trade Watson before the trade deadline - including team owner Cal McNair - but general manager Nick Caserio would have the final say.

Meanwhile, the 1-7 Dolphins will continue to roll with Tua Tagovailoa as their starter for the rest of the campaign. The 2020 No. 5 pick has struggled through his first one-and-half seasons, leading Miami to explore acquiring Watson.

The 26-year-old Watson led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards last season and threw a career-high 33 touchdowns.

Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.