Nov 12, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) walks to the sidelines during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Deshaun Watson is going to miss the rest of the season for the Cleveland Browns. A year after missing most of the season due to his suspension, he will now miss the rest of 2023 because of a shoulder injury. Cleveland gave up a king’s ransom and paid Watson a record fully guaranteed deal. How bad is this situation for the Browns? Let’s dive into all aspects of it.
Deshaun Watson Cleveland Browns Trade
As a reminder, this is what the Browns gave up in the trade. First-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024 were the centerpiece along with a 2022 fourth-round, 2023 third-round, and 2024 fourth-round pick. The Browns did receive a 2024 sixth-round pick as well in the trade. At this point, we know the vast majority of the trade. The Houston Texans have been very busy with trades using these picks but here is what this haul has netted them.
- RB Dameon Pierce
- WR Tank Dell
- Edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.
- Guard Kenyon Green
- WR John Metchie III
- LB Christian Harris
- DT Thomas Booker (no longer with the team)
They aren’t done either! The picks in 2024 are still on the table to be used or traded for other pieces. This is a massive haul and a lot of these pieces have been critical in their rise to glory behind quarterback C.J. Stroud. Where does this leave the Browns now?
Deshaun Watson And The Cleveland Browns In 2023
In 2023, the Browns are not in bad shape at all. Let’s go into a magical world where Watson is a top-ten quarterback in the NFL. This team is likely one of the favorites in the AFC. Myles Garrett is leading a defense that has had some historic numbers. In this magical world, we are also assuming Nick Chubb is running all over teams. Amari Cooper is a solid wide receiver and Watson’s play makes people around him better. This is how this trade is supposed to work. The Cleveland Browns are a quarterback away so they mortgage their future to bring the star in.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in this magical world. Watson has not been anywhere close to a top-ten quarterback. His completion percentage sits at 61.4% putting him behind the likes of Justin Fields and Ryan Tannehill on the season. He is only averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. Gardner Minshew, Baker Mayfield, and Desmond Ridder are all ahead of him. While he has missed a couple of games, he has only thrown eight touchdowns on the season. Mac Jones has 10 and it was reported that he has lost 80% of the locker room after their week 10 loss. The stats are ugly but it is nothing compared to the contract.
The Deshaun Watson Contract
This is where things get dark for the Cleveland Browns. In 2023, Watson is only a $19 million cap hit but next year begins the big years. In 2024, 2025, and 2026, Watson will be an astounding $63.9 million salary cap hit. Let’s compare that to some of the league’s highest-paid.
Patrick Mahomes: 2024- $57.3 million, 2025- $60.8 million, 2026- $63.2 million
Joe Burrow: 2024- $29.7 million, 2025- $46.2 million, 2026- $48.2 million
Jalen Hurts: 2024- $13.5 million, 2025- $21.7 million, 2026- $31.7 million
Russell Wilson: 2024- $35.4 million, 2025- $55.4 million, 2026- $55.4 million
To be fair, some of the deals, like Burrow and Hurts, are in the beginning stages and have larger cap hits down the road. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that the Browns will be paying Watson almost five times the amount the Eagles will be paying Hurts in 2024. The only person that comes close to Watson’s numbers is Mahomes and he has won two Super Bowls. I would happily pay the numbers Mahomes is making because of the on-field success. Is there any way the Browns can avoid paying Watson these numbers?
Can The Browns Get Out Of This?
In a word, no. I mean it is technically possible the same way that it is technically possible for you to stick your hand in a bee hive. You can do it but it sure isn’t going to feel good. The key part of Watson’s deal is that it is fully guaranteed. The Browns cannot get around paying him that money. Let’s say the Browns are completely done with Watson and want to release him after the 2023 season. This would cause them to lose $136.9 million in cap space or 53% of the entire projected 2024 salary cap. It would be wildly irresponsible to do this and the Browns won’t. Even if they were to designate him a post-June 1 cut, the net loss would be a whopping $92 million. Okay, they can’t get out of it this year but what about future years?
The earliest that it would make sense would be after the 2025 season. In this “best-case” scenario, a post-June 1 cut after the 2025 season would result in a dead-cap hit of $109.9 million. To give you context, the current record is the Atlanta Falcons paying Matt Ryan $40.5 million when they traded him to the Colts. This number would dwarf the Ryan number. There is pretty much no way that the Cleveland Browns can cut Deshaun Watson and save money.
What About A Trade?
I’m not going to spend much time on this one. A trade would technically be a way to get out of paying Watson. However, they have to find another team that wants to pay over $60 million a year for a quarterback that is in the Desmond Ridder and Gardner Minshew range. I do not see a scenario where any team thinks this is a good idea. A team would much rather roll the dice on a rookie than spend $60 million on Watson.
Off-The-Field Issues
At this point, I’ve avoided talking about the off-the-field issues but it comes into play here. Before even mentioning the 26 women who have accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct and harassment, the Cleveland Browns have made a massive mistake. Add in this situation and it goes beyond a mistake. This is a colossal failure and gross mismanagement of resources.
What did the Deshaun Watson trade net the Cleveland Browns? A sixth-round pick and an underperforming quarterback who is owed a massive amount of money in the next three years. But it goes beyond that. They also willingly took on a PR situation that is the nightmare of communications majors around the globe. My title asked the question, “How bad is the Deshaun Watson trade for the Cleveland Browns?” Saying “it’s bad” doesn’t do it justice. This situation is a chain of mistakes that have left the franchise in an impossible situation that they may not recover from for years.
