The Deshaun Watson saga is over in Houston, as he’s now set to join the Cleveland Browns. But before he actually joins the Dawg Pound, there are so many factors coming into play for one of the biggest trades in NFL history.
Take a deep breath Browns fans, it looks like you have a new QB1. Ironically, after it was reported Cleveland was out of the Deshaun Watson race late Thursday, the enigmatic signal-caller forced an audible to land in The Land.
Not only did Cleveland commit to Watson, but the Browns also gave up three first-round picks, a third- and a fourth-round pick in exchange for him and a fifth-rounder. But Cleveland also gave him a deal spanning five years for $230 million guaranteed, which is far and away the biggest in NFL history.
Those $230 million guaranteed are over $100 million more than Aaron Rodgers’ $101.4 million from this week.
So let’s dive into the ins and outs of the deal, as well as the many different angles to look at for the move.
Deshaun Watson trade: Football Angle
Let’s start with the football side of things. Joining one of the most talented rosters in football, Watson comes to the Browns after three Pro Bowl selections as a Texan.
During his most recent season in 2020, the Clemson product led the NFL in passing yards (4,823) to go along with career-bests with 33 touchdowns, 70.2% completion rate, and a 112.4 passer rating, going against a career-low seven interceptions.
One of the top dual-threat QBs in the league, Watson also totaled 444 rushing yards that season, his third consecutive season going over 400 yards.
In Houston, Watson also led the Texans to two playoff appearances, including a win over the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the 2019 season.
Watson will join an offense that has an offensive line that ranked eighth in football last season, according to PFF.
He’ll have arguably the best RB tandem in the league in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, as well as Amari Cooper out wide after the Browns acquired him for Day 3 draft picks. Cooper, a four-time Pro Bowler, hauled in 68 receptions for 865 yards last season and tied a career-high with eight TDs.
The Browns also have talented compliments out wide with Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, and the newly acquired Jakeem Grant, and a deep TE group as well, featuring David Njoku and Harrison Bryant.
Defensively, the Browns were streaky in ’21 (5th in yards allowed, 18th in points allowed), but they are also loaded with talent on that side of the ball. Three-time All-Pro DE Myles Garrett, two-time Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward, safety John Johnson III, and rookie standouts Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah all return to a unit that has tremendous upside going into DC Joe Woods’ second season in that role.
Watson will also play in an offense led by 2020 NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski and OC Alex Van Pelt.
Now the question that many are asking is where is Baker Mayfield headed? The 2018 No. 1 overall pick poured his heart out in a message to the city of Cleveland and requested a trade from the Browns before Watson was brought in. So here’s what may be happening on his end.