Browns Owner Finally Admits Deshaun Watson Trade Was A Bust

It’s been three years since the Browns committed one of the most impressive unforced errors in NFL history by agreeing to the trade that sent Deshaun Watson to Cleveland. That move turned out to be an unmitigated disaster, and Jimmy Haslam has finally been forced to admit he missed the mark as his team continues to deal with the repercussions.

Deshaun Watson was already at the center of a well-documented sexual assault investigation in 2022 when the Cleveland Browns not only gave the Texans a bunch of draft picks to acquire him but subsequently signed the quarterback to a five-year, $230 million contract that was the largest fully guaranteed deal in NFL history at the time.

Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of his first season in Cleveland thanks to the results of that aforementioned investigation, and he failed to inspire much confidence after returning to the gridiron before seeing his numbers fall off a cliff compared to his time in Houston.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was understandably subjected to plenty of blowback for agreeing to the trade in the first place given the circumstances (he didn’t do himself any favors by saying he consulted with some women in his family before moving forward), and he repeatedly defended the move even after it became impossible to ignore just how poorly it had panned out for the franchise.

Cleveland got a bit of a blessing in disguise last season when Watson tore his Achilles tendon, which gave them the excuse they needed to move on to another QB for the rest of the year. It’s still unclear what the timeline for his potential return is, but there are plenty of signs that suggest he’s played his last snap as a Brown despite having two years left on a contract where he’s still owed $92 million.

The most recent one came courtesy of Haslam himself, as the owner acknowledged he and his wife Dee deserve to shoulder the bulk of the blame for the Watson debacle while taking responsibility during a conversation with the media at this week’s league meeting in Palm Beach.

It’s still not entirely clear who will start at QB for the Browns this year, as Kenny Pickett is currently the only option on the roster following the departure of Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson; they hold the second overall pick in the NFL Draft, although there’s speculation they could also acquire Kirk Cousins from the Falcons.