It seems to me that while on the one hand not facing criminal charges jumps a big hurdle, on the other hand those 22 civil cases present an enormous PR liability for any team that would trade for Watson. It also doesn't help that in the criminal charges, he invoked the 5th.
Perhaps I'm misreading the public. I'm sure some QB deficient team would love to have Watson. But it's about far more than only that player's team and its fans. Watson is a top name in the face of the NFL. And if he were to lose even a few of those 22 cases, then it says that a majority of jurors in those cases believed the women that Watson committed unwanted sexual acts upon them and were due compensation.
To say that would be a bad look for the NFL if he were to be allowed to play would be an understatement. Although, admittedly, in this world I'm no longer sure what people think is off limits and what isn't.
