Houston Texans Deshaun Watson began his professional career with the
2017 Houston Texans. After a season-ending injury in his rookie year, his tenure with the Texans was marked by two consecutive AFC South titles in
2018 and
2019. Watson's performance peaked in 2020 when he led the league in passing yards with 4,823 yards in spite of the Texans' abysmal 4-12 record. That same year, Watson had the 3rd best touchdown-to-interception ratio at 33:7, and the 2nd highest
passer rating in the NFL at 112.4, trailing only behind
Aaron Rodgers who was named the league's
Most Valuable Player that season. During his time with the Texans, Watson was known for his proficiency as a dual-threat quarterback (in spite of Watson disliking the term due to its
perceived stereotyping of black quarterbacks), as well as his completion percentage of passes with 20 or more air yards; boasting a 43% completion rate on such throws, representing the 6th best in the NFL at the time. Watson's final game as a Texan was on January 3, 2021, a 38–41 loss to the
Tennessee Titans.
Cleveland Browns quarterback
Baker Mayfield, who was traded away the same year as the Deshaun Watson trade. The Cleveland Browns made the decision to move on from their previous quarterback,
Baker Mayfield, following the 2021 season due to his poor performance while suffering from a shoulder injury. Insider reports of the Browns indicated that Mayfield was considered too immature to be a team leader, leading to him being traded away to the
Carolina Panthers, with insider reports stating that the Browns leadership wanted an "adult" at the quarterback position.
Deshaun Watson sexual assault allegations On March 16, 2021, a
Houston massage therapist filed a
civil lawsuit delivered by attorney
Tony Buzbee against then-
Texans' quarterback
Deshaun Watson, claiming that Watson had touched her with the tip of his erect penis while asking her for sex during a visit to her home for treatment in March 2020. Watson vehemently denied Buzbee's claims, stating that "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect." According to the suit, the massage therapist immediately ended the session and cried after the incident. Several weeks later, two additional NFL players contacted the massage therapist on Watson's recommendation. The suit also claims that Watson later reached out to the massage therapist and apologized for his actions. Over the next few days, several more civil lawsuits were filed against Watson by further massage therapists represented by Buzbee accusing him of being a "serial predator", with allegations including Watson directing victims to massage his anus and penis and forcing them to touch it, forcing a victim to perform oral sex on him, attempting to forcibly kiss a victim, locking doors behind victims to force sexual assault, and telling therapists to keep quiet about what happened. By April 5, 2021, 22 lawsuits had been filed against Watson, though 18 professional massage therapists have since expressed support of his character, saying that the allegations contradict their experiences with Watson. On April 7, 2021,
Nike and
Beats By Dre suspended endorsement deals with Watson.
Reliant Energy and
H-E-B stated that they did not plan on engaging with Watson in the future. These legal challenges led to Watson's absence from the field for the entire 2021 season, during which he remained with the Houston Texans but did not participate in any games. The situation was further complicated by Watson's simultaneous request for a trade from the team. After two more accusers joined the lawsuit in June 2022, Watson settled 23 of the 24 lawsuits in July and August. On August 1, as a result of these allegations, Watson was suspended for six regular season games to start the 2022 season by NFL disciplinary officer
Sue Lewis Robinson. Two days later, the NFL appealed the suspension, seeking to extend the suspension to at least a full season as well as seeking a fine and establishing a requirement for Watson to seek treatment for his conduct. The appeal was reviewed by former
New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey. On August 18, after the NFL and the NFLPA reached a settlement, Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the season and was fined $5 million. == Timeline ==