Deshaun Watson has narrowed his list of potential teams to the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, eliminating both the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers on Thursday.

The Houston Texans are preparing to trade Watson this offseason after his legal status made that an impossibility in 2021.

The Falcons have delayed a roster bonus for Matt Ryan until Monday in order to accommodate a potential trade for Watson.

Watson grew up in the Atlanta area and was a ballboy for the Falcons as a youth.

The Cleveland Browns have been informed that they're out of the running to trade for Deshaun Watson.

Watson instead eliminated the Browns from contention, leaving the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons as the remaining known contenders for Watson.

Watson's decision puts the Browns in a complicated predicament with incumbent quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Browns will now have to decide whether they will attempt to reconcile with Mayfield or trade the 2018 No. 1 pick and try to acquire another quarterback.

The Browns would prefer to retain Mayfield.

The Atlanta Falcons will meet with Deshaun Watson on Wednesday, according to sources.

The Falcons are the fourth team to meet with Watson about a possible trade, following the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.

Each team has made a trade offer for Watson prior to the meetings.

The Cleveland Browns have enough trade interest in Deshaun Watson to have taken a meeting with the quarterback, per multiple reports.

The Browns are scheduled to sit down with Watson on Tuesday in Houston.

Watson reportedly met with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers on Monday.

Deshaun Watson is expected to meet with the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints within the next 48 hours, according to a report.

Watson reportedly wants to meet with teams interested in him before any trade talks progress.

Trade interest in the quarterback heated up last Friday when a grand jury did not indict Watson on any criminal charges related to accusations of misconduct raised by numerous women.

The Carolina Panthers plan to make an "aggressive" trade offer for Deshaun Watson, if the quarterback will waive his no-trade clause to join the team, according to a report.

Carolina wanted to trade for Watson last year, but he wasn't interested in a deal.

The Panthers are reportedly willing to part with any player on their roster other than safety Jeremy Chinn, in addition to draft picks.

A grand jury declined to indict Deshaun Watson following a police investigation that was sparked by lawsuits filed by 22 women accusing him of harassment and sexual assault. 

Prosecutors from the district attorney's office in Harris County, Texas, presented evidence and testimony to the 12-person grand jury for over six hours on Friday related to nine of the 10 criminal complaints filed against Watson. The grand jury, which does not require a unanimous vote, rejected all nine cases; prosecutors did not present the 10th.

"It's definitely a very emotional moment for me. I know we're far from being done of handling what we need to handle on the legal side, but today is definitely a big day," Watson, speaking to reporters for the first time in over a year, said at a news conference outside his lawyer's office building. "I thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for letting the truth be heard. And I thank everyone that was a part of this for seeing and hearing both sides. That's what my point and my team wanted to do, is have a fair slate of us telling our side of the story and letting the conclusion come to what happened today, and that's what the grand jury decided on.

"I'm just going to keep fighting to rebuild my name and rebuild my appearance in the community. And on the legal side handle what we need to handle. But also ready to get on the field, and prep for that."

A spokesman for the NFL, which is investigating Watson under its personal conduct policy, said in a statement Friday, "We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter."

In January 2021, Watson asked the Texans to trade him because he was unhappy about the direction of the franchise.

If the Houston Texans eventually trade Deshaun Watson, it won't be to the Miami Dolphins.

Chris Grier, who said last season that the team did due diligence on Watson before ultimately deciding against trading for him, said Wednesday that "the door is shut on Deshaun" as the Dolphins prepare for the 2022 season.

Grier said new coach Mike McDaniel presented a plan for Tua Tagovailoa during the interview process and the Dolphins are confident enough to stick with the third-year quarterback.

"Mike and his staff have put in a lot of work and studied a lot of Tua, and they feel good about his developmental upside and what he can be and how he fits in the offense," Grier said. "I think we're good with Tua."