The Cleveland Browns yesterday officially acknowledged the colossal mistake they made during the Deshaun Watson trade, setting back the franchise. While they didn’t issue a formal statement, they might as well have. Team owner Jimmy Haslam spoke candidly during the annual league meetings, and made his point of view clear.
“We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun”, he said of the Browns’ trade for Watson in 2022. As part of the trade for the former Pro Bowl quarterback, the Browns sent the Texans three first-round picks. Other compensation changed hands as well, but Watson was the greatest beneficiary.
In order to sweeten the pot and coax Deshaun Watson into agreeing to a trade with the Browns, Haslam permitted a five-year, $230 million contract that was fully guaranteed. To this day, it is the largest fully-guaranteed contract in NFL history. And they have exceptionally little to show for it.
“We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him, so we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole”, Haslam admitted of the irreparable damage the Browns inflicted upon themselves by trading for Watson. He called it “an entire organization decision”, but ultimately said it ends with himself and his wife, “so hold us accountable”.
The Browns actually traded back from 12th to 25th to pick up a future first-round pick in 2017 with the Texans, using that 12th-overall pick to draft Deshaun Watson. While in Houston, he made three Pro Bowls and was a promising up-and-comer. Then scandal hit, and his play declined—as did his health.
Since the trade, Watson has left more than a little something for the Browns to desire. He owns a 9-10 record, first and foremost, with an 80.7 passer rating. He has missed at least 10 games in each of his three seasons here, and figures to do so again in 2025. The first time, it was because of an 11-game suspension. Since then, he has not been healthy.
Last season, posting a 1-6 record, Deshaun Watson went 137-for-216 for 1,148 yards with 5 touchdowns to 3 interceptions. The Browns finished 3-14 overall, last in the AFC North. But Haslam puts the blame chiefly on the quarterback position, not HC Kevin Stefanski.
Because of the guarantees in his contract, the Browns have been unable to relieve themselves of Watson. Via a restructure to create cap space, they have already paid him the vast majority of the balance owed him for 2025. They still owe him $46 million in 2026, however, in which season he boasts a cap hit of $81,681,678.
The Browns hold the second-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, though it’s not clear how they will use him. Currently, with Watson injured, former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett would be their starter. But they will inevitably add to the room soon, quite possibly with a high-pedigreed rookie.
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