I'm not sure how settling these lawsuits was the only impediment. Even if Watson paid whatever it took to make them all go away, there's still the open question about whether any criminal action will happen. There's also the question of whether the NFL would then feel pressured to issue some sort of suspension. Right now, the NFL is able to be silent while waiting for criminal/civil stuff to work itself out because Watson isn't playing. But if a team gave up a lot to trade for him, they'd want to play him right away.