The Cleveland Browns believe they have their franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson, although he’s spent more time off the field in a Browns uniform than on it. From suspension to now season-ending shoulder surgery, Watson will have missed a total of 22 of 34 games once the regular season comes to a conclusion.
Keep in mind the Browns paid Watson $230 million in fully guaranteed money, as Watson carries a $63.977 million cap hit over the next three years. Cleveland can’t even get out of the deal until 2027, as the Browns would pay a $136.9 million cap penalty in 2024 or a $73 million cap penalty in 2025 by releasing him.
Basically, Cleveland is stuck with Watson’s contract. Which brings us back to the controversial deal that sent Watson to Cleveland in the first place. The Browns acquired Watson from the Houston Texans in exchange for first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, along with a 2023 third-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick. The Texans also sent the Browns a 2024 fifth-round pick.
Based on Watson’s performance and injury history, the Browns made a bad trade. What the Texans got in return only makes the deal that much worse for Cleveland.
What the Texans received
2022 first-round pick: G Kenyon Green (via trade)2023 first-round pick: DE Will Anderson Jr. (via trade)2024 first-round pick: TBD2023 third-round pick: WR Tank Dell (via trade)2024 fifth-round pick: TBD
The Texans used some creative maneuvering of draft picks to get three lynchpins for their franchise thanks to having extra first-round picks as part of the Watson deal. Houston selected Green after originally having the No. 13 pick from Cleveland, but the Texans traded down two spots with the Philadelphia Eagles and selected Green at No. 15 overall. The Texans also received the 124th, 162nd and 166th overall selections from the Eagles, which they actually used in a series of other deals to land wide receiver…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/revisiting-deshaun-watson-trade-two-years-later-texans-fleece-browns-by-capitalizing-on-major-draft-capital/
Author : Jeff Kerr
Publish date : 2023-11-16 18:24:57
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