It took some time, but the Houston Texans eventually found a way out for star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who requested a trade last year before facing multiple lawsuits for sexual assault allegations.

With his criminal charges cleared, his trade market ramped up and the Cleveland Browns ended up acquiring his services. Now, the Texans are finally able to turn the page and move on.

Lovie Smith was promoted as the team’s head coach for the 2022 NFL season, in which Davis Mills is expected to take the reins from Week 1. According to Smith, moving on from Watson is something that the Texans needed to do.

Lovie Smith says Texans parting ways with Deshaun Watson is for the better

“Sometimes divorce is good, and that’s my statement that I’ve made a lot of times when you know a split’s going to happen, and both parties are going to win once it does,” Smith told Cris Collinsworth, as quoted by ProFootballTalk.

Without expanding on Watson’s legal situation, Smith made clear that the Texans needed to part ways with him anyway. “I don’t know exactly what happened,” Smith said. “The accusations are there, and if they have merit that will all come out in time. But for our football team, we needed to move on.”

Watson is already part of the past and Smith wants to make that clear. He hadn’t played a single minute last season, so it was only a matter of time before he left. Meanwhile, the Texans continue to prepare for a challenging year after finishing with a 4-13 record in 2021.

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NFL News: Lovie Smith suggests Texans are better off without Deshaun Watson