Dec 1, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) passes the football during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

For weeks now, we’ve been wondering whether or not the Miami Dolphins would finally pull the trigger on a trade to get quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. At the heart of the drama was whether or not the Dolphins would be okay with the many legal entanglements that Watson currently finds himself in stemming from over 20 civil suits regarding sexual assault allegations. All the while, the team tried in vain to make it seem like they truly had faith in second-year starter Tua Tagovailoa as their quarterback.

Now, as the trade deadline is getting ready to expire, it’s been reported that the deal will not happen and both teams will continue to move forward with their respective quarterback situations.

Although the Dolphins did due diligence on Deshaun Watson and had conversations with Houston, Miami will not make a trade for the QB, per source,” said Adam Schefter. “Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross, who had contingencies that needed to be met for any deal, made the final decision to not move forward.

“While Miami considered bringing in Deshaun Watson, no deal ever was in place and the Dolphins will stick with Tua Tagovailoa, a young QB who has shown improvement this year.”

Ultimately it’s not a major surprise that the deal didn’t go down. It had been reported that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted Watson but only if the legal issues were resolved, which would have required Watson to admit guilt, something he has been unwilling to do. There are also the possibilities that Watson could face further legal charges or that the NFL could limit his playing ability.

All of which is to say that it appears that the Dolphins would have happily traded for Watson if the optics were better. And while they can claim that they always wanted Tua, everyone knows that’s not true. So now they’ll have to work with a young quarterback who knows he was almost thrown out midway through his development to make way for an alleged sexual predator.

That’s the kind of thing that sticks with someone.

[Adam Schefter]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.