The Cleveland Browns Acquire Deshaun Watson; Let The Damage Control Begin

In a perfect world the Cleveland Browns would have traded for an elite quarterback as the final piece in their otherwise Super Bowl-caliber offense without having to issue a statement from the team’s owners explaining their reasoning for making such a controversial decision. The hope being, of course, to calm the nerves of a percentage of the team’s fans outraged by the decision.

But as we all know, “the Cleveland Browns” and “a perfect world” are two of the most incompatible phrases in professional sports.

So, on Sunday, two days after the Browns, the Houston Texans, and Deshaun Watson all agreed on a trade that sends Watson and a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft to Cleveland in exchange for the Browns’ first round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, plus a third-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2024, the Browns owners explained themselves.

The Browns and the 26-year-old Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection while with Houston, have agreed on a monster five-year $230 million contract, all of it fully guaranteed, making it the most guaranteed money in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Watson, however, comes to Cleveland with plenty of baggage, as he’s facing 22 civil lawsuits from massage therapists accusing him of sexual misconduct while Watson was with the Texans. On March 11, a grand jury in Houston declined to indict Watson on criminal charges.

In addition to the civil lawsuits, Watson could also face suspension from the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. However, the Browns were willing to take on all that baggage for all that quarterback.

Cleveland officials knew by trading for Watson they could be facing a PR nightmare. But it’s a measure of the team’s desperation to acquire, after decades of trying and failing, an elite quarterback, that ownership was willing not only to offer Watson a record-breaking contract, but to take the hit from fans and season ticket holders irate over that decision.

Sunday, the Browns took their first step towards damage control by issuing a release that was presented as a “Statement from Dee and Jimmy Haslam on trading for Deshaun Watson”:

“We spent a tremendous amount of time exploring and investigating the opportunity to trade for Deshaun Watson. We are acutely aware and empathetic to the highly personal sentiments expressed about this decision. Our team’s comprehensive evaluation process was of utmost importance due to the sensitive nature of his situation and the complex factors involved. We also understand there are still some legal proceedings that are ongoing and we will respect due process. It was pivotal that we, along with Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, meet with Deshaun to have a straightforward dialogue, discuss our priorities, and hear directly from him on how he wants to approach his career on and off the field. He was humble, sincere and candid. In our conversations, Deshaun detailed his commitment to leading our team; he understands and embraces the hard work needed to build his name both in the community and on the field. Those in-depth conversations, the extensive evaluation process, his dedication to being a great teammate and devotion to helping others within the NFL, within the community, and through his charitable initiatives provided the foundation for us to pursue Deshaun. We are confident in Deshaun and excited about moving forward with him as our quarterback and supporting his genuine and determined efforts.”

The addition of Watson means the subtraction of Baker Mayfield as Cleveland’s quarterback. After learning that the Browns were pursuing Watson, Mayfield requested a trade, which the Browns initially turned down. But after signing Watson, the Browns will now explore the trade market for Mayfield, whose popularity within a certain segment of Browns fans further inflamed the dissent over the trade for Watson.

One way or another, the decision by the Browns to determinedly pursue and eventually acquire Watson is a seminal moment in franchise history. From the group of four teams – New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina and Cleveland – who were the finalists in the Watson sweepstakes, the Browns were the first to be told they were out of the running.

However, Jimmy Haslam continued to make his case with Watson, whose contract with Houston included a no-trade clause. Two days later Watson changed his mind and told the Texans he would wave his no-trade clause in order to be traded to the Browns.

Clearly Haslam’s offer of a record-breaking five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract played a huge role in Watson reversing himself in his search for a new team. The Browns went from the first team out to the last team standing in what will likely be – one way or another – the biggest story in the NFL in 2022.

Because the deal brings together two flawed capitalists.

One needs to resurrect his career.

The other needs to resurrect his franchise.