The Browns’ trade for QB Deshaun Watson has not gone how the organization imagined, as he’s played just 18 games in three years after signing a fully guaranteed $230 million deal.
It will forever be talked about as one of the worst trades in sports history, and many fans have debated where exactly the blame should be placed. Some point to HC Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry as the main personnel decision-makers, while others think it’s plausible ownership pushed for the deal to happen.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was asked about the trade and took accountability for the decision.
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,” Haslam said, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “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. … (the trade) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”
Whether this is true or he just wants to help the image of his coach and general manager, this is the first time any of the top Browns brass has spoken about the move as a failure.
Watson, 29, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.
The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games.
Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as a part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons.
In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.
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