Texans lose NFL Draft capital in Deshaun Watson-related error
The Texans are being penalized due to an arrangment with the former QB
The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns almost one year ago to the day.
After the allegations levied against Watson, the Texans' front office probably let out a collective sigh of relief upon trading the QB. However, something that happened during Watson's Houston tenure has come back to bite the Texans.
The Texans are losing a 2023 fifth-round draft pick and being fined $175,000 due to what the NFL is calling a salary cap violation. The team, however, believes it is an "accounting error that dates back to Deshaun Watson’s training during COVID."
The Texans allege that $26,000 was paid for Watson to work out at an off-site facility when the QB could not work out at NRG Stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions.
This discrepancy was discovered when the league investigated sexual misconduct allegations against Watson. On March 18, 2022, before any discipline was handed down to Watson, the Texans traded the QB to the Cleveland Browns for a king's ransom that included three first-round draft picks.
Watson would go on to sign an unprecedented, fully-guaranteed $230 million deal with his new team.
The Texans released a statement responding to the punishment, saying that they have fully cooperated with the league's investigations.
The team absorbed the cost of the alternate facility instead of charging the amount to player salaries. The statement also proclaims that the Texans "had no intention to circumvent any salary cap rules," and that no competitive advantage was gained.
While the team disagreed with the ruling, the statement says they "will accept the imposed discipline and move forward."
The NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement mandates teams to report any player compensation or benefit. Thankfully for the Texans, the team still holds 11 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
