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When you tally up everything the Browns gave up in the Deshaun Watson trade, along with the persistent PR nightmare, it’s starting to look like a contender for the title of the NFL’s worst trade ever.
Here’s the breakdown:
Browns Traded:
- 1st Round Pick in 2022
- 1st Round Pick in 2023
- 1st Round Pick in 2024
- 3rd Round Pick in 2023
- 4th Round Pick in 2022
- 4th Round Pick in 2024
Texans Traded:
- Deshaun Watson
- 6th Round Pick In 2024
Since joining the Browns, Watson has played 10 games and the stats are not pretty.
He’s thrown for under 2,000 yards, completed less than 60% of his passes, and has an 11-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio with 82.09 quarterback rating.
Watson is averaging less than 195 passing yards per game, which, in this era of rules in football, pretty dreadful.
But it’s not just the performance on the field that’s giving everyone pause. The Browns took a massive PR hit when they acquired Watson.
Over 20 women have credibly accused him of sexual misconduct, and the dark cloud of those allegations hangs over the team. Social media won’t let them forget it.
Now, some may argue that the Russell Wilson trade between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks was worse, but there’s a key difference. The Broncos, at least, don’t have the added burden of terrible PR.
On top of everything, the Browns handed Watson a jaw-dropping $230 million fully guaranteed contract, the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
This season, the 4-2 Browns have as many wins with career backup quarterback P.J. Walker, as they do with Watson.