2022 NFL: Worst offseason move for each of the 32 teams
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns: Giving up the farm for Deshaun Watson before the suspension announcement
There’s no denying that Deshaun Watson is an elite NFL talent. There’s also no denying that he’s an upgrade over Baker Mayfield.
Having said that, the Cleveland Browns jumped the gun when it came to acquiring him from the Houston Texans. Cleveland added Watson despite 22 pending civil lawsuits looming over his head.
The claims of sexual misconduct were bad before the Browns added him and have only gotten worse as the number is now up to 24. And while he wasn’t indicted by a grand jury, it’s common knowledge that the NFL is going to suspend him — and with every day that passes, it feels as though the suspension could be a longer one than originally expected.
As for the Browns, they’re also taking a huge PR hit. People everywhere are calling them out for their acceptance of Watson and fans are showing extreme frustration.
Again, the move made sense when it comes to the play on the field. But making this move before the league made its decision was a mistake. Sure, there were several teams willing to make the move but that doesn’t mean it should have happened — and the Browns definitely shouldn’t have given him a new contract which ended up being a fully-guaranteed $230 million.
Perhaps it all works out and the Browns win a lot of games but the cost was far too great to make when they didn’t have any idea how long they could be without their new franchise quarterback.