Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam has admitted his crew’s controversial determination to amass Deshaun Watson has been a “massive swing and miss”.
In 2022, the Browns despatched a bundle that included three first-round picks to the Houston Texans in change for the quarterback, who had been accused of sexual assault by dozens of girls. The Browns then rewarded Watson, on the time among the best quarterbacks within the league, with a $230m totally assured contract. Watson by no means confronted felony costs over the sexual assault allegations however the NFL suspended him for 11 video games of the 2022 season after its personal investigation.
Cleveland’s religion in Watson has not been rewarded. He’s but to finish a full season with the Browns resulting from harm and suspension and has constantly been one of many worst quarterbacks within the league in QBR. He has thrown 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his three seasons with the Browns (Fifteen quarterbacks threw greater than 19 touchdowns within the 2024 NFL season alone). They’ve performed only one playoff recreation since his arrival, which they misplaced, regardless of boasting among the best defenses within the league. Watson missed that recreation by harm.
On Monday, Haslam acknowledged the Browns’ determination has up to now been a bust.
“We took a giant swing-and-miss with Deshaun,” Haslam mentioned on the league’s annual assembly. “We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t. And we gave up plenty of draft picks to get him, so we’ve bought to dig ourselves out of that gap … [The trade] was a whole group determination and it ends with Dee [Haslam] and I, so maintain us accountable.”
The probabilities of Watson turning round his Browns profession seem like slim. He’s anticipated to overlook a major a part of the 2025 season after tearing – after which re-tearing – his achilles, an harm that ended his marketing campaign in 2024.
The 29-year-old nonetheless has two years left on his contract, and the Browns owe him $46m in every of these seasons. There was hypothesis the Browns will choose a quarterback with the No 2 total decide on this month’s draft, a place they earned after going 3-14 final season. Nonetheless Haslam mentioned on Monday the crew wouldn’t rush into a choice.
“It might be nice if we may get ‘the quarterback,’ however we’re not going to drive it,” Haslam mentioned. “We’re going to be affected person and we’re going to attempt to accumulate as many truly good soccer gamers as we will.”
