Deshaun Watson spoke with Leonard Fournette and Jarvis Landry about their interest in joining the Atlanta Falcons.

Deshaun Watson was reportedly on the verge of signing with the Falcons before deciding to be traded to the Browns instead. According to ESPN, at one point, he communicated with running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Jarvis Landry about the possibility of forming a partnership with them in Atlanta. It's possible that the communication took place through FaceTime.

According to ESPN, the Falcons were confident in their ability to acquire Watson in a trade, and the quarterback was eager to join the team. Watson, on the other hand, couldn't turn down Cleveland's offer of a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $230 million.

When it came down to it, Fournette chose to return to the Buccaneers, while Landry, who was recently released by the Browns, is currently available as a free agent.

Watson is still embroiled in 22 ongoing civil lawsuits, some of which contain graphic accounts of sexual harassment and assault. The allegations against Watson range from Watson allegedly refusing to cover his genitals to Watson allegedly forcing women to put his penis in their mouths. A grand jury recently returned nine "no" bills on nine criminal complaints against Watson, and a Harris County prosecutor announced that the criminal proceedings against him had been concluded. Watson is alleged to have invoked the Fifth Amendment while being deposed in the civil suits hearing on the same day the grand jury returned the bills to the government. However, he is said to have answered questions under oath several days after the criminal proceedings were completed..

When asked about the reports linking the team to Atlanta, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said the team was only "exploring" the possibility of a trade. According to Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network, he went on to say that there were "a lot of layers" to the trade negotiations. Despite the fact play tic tac toe that Fontenot claimed the team conducted research into the situation, Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the 22 women who are suing Watson, claimed that not a single NFL team had reached out to him prior to Watson's trade to the Cleveland Browns.