A Trade That Will Destroy the Browns: Deshaun Watson Deal’s Collateral Damage Will Be Felt for Decades
For the Cleveland Browns, the Deshaun Watson trade and subsequent fully-guaranteed $230 million contract was an immediate disaster. A tsunami of negativity that turned the Browns from a team everyone had rooted for to turn things around just a few seasons prior and made them the most hated franchise in the NFL over night, and precisely no one feels bad for them.
Blaming Baker Mayfield
We know the reasons why the Browns scapegoating Baker Mayfield and bringing in Watson was despicable at best and completely lacking morals at worst. The Browns knew the things he was accused of – they didn’t care. As long as Watson could still play like he did in 2020, they would be happy, and so would the fans. Unfortunately for the Browns, Watson was anything but his Pro Bowl self. He never played more than seven games in a season from 2022-24, and his production took a nosedive in that span. In 19 games over the three-season span, Watson threw 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Of 74 quarterbacks to play at least 150 snaps in that span, he ranked 63rd in adjusted EPA per play and success rate.
Meanwhile, the quarterback they seemingly blamed for all of their issues, Bake Mayfield, has led the Buccaneers to consecutive playoff berths, won a playoff game, and threw for 41 touchdowns in 2024 – more than three times the number of touchdowns Watson as thrown in three seasons.
