Deshaun Watson was missing from Texans practices in the lead-up to their game against the Jags.
It was reported the Texans wanted to keep Watson away from the team so he wouldn’t be a distraction to their preparation. We now know where Watson was at that entire time.
He was spending his birthday week in Costa Rica with his long-time girlfriend, Jilly Anais.
She wished him a happy birthday on Instagram while showing off photos from their vacation. This is a clear indication you shouldn’t expect Watson to be back with the team any time soon. There were reports that the Texans turned down a pretty substantial trade offer for Watson.
They seem content to let the legal process play out before they decide how much they are willing to take in a trade.
At some point during the season, a grand jury will decide if any criminal charges will be filed. I spoke on the BSO Substack on how Watson asking for a trade might affect the grand jury. There are 22 pending civil cases against Watson that likely won’t go to trial until next year (unless a settlement is reached).
Anais has stated she is a ride-or-die girlfriend and has forgiven Watson for consensually cheating on her with multiple massage therapists from 2019 to March 2021. They seem very happy, and Watson doesn’t appear to be bothered by not playing this season.
It is possible if this drags out, Watson could miss two seasons in the prime of his career, but for now, there doesn’t seem to be a scenario where he plays this season unless there are no criminal charges and he reaches a settlement within the next 30 days. That seems unlikely as Watson and his lawyers say they plan to take all the civil cases to trial.
Flip the page for Watson and Anais living it up in Costa Rica.