Is the Deshaun Watson commerce and contract the worst in NFL historical past? Browns QB will get off to rocky begin in Week 1

Week 1 could not have been a lot worse for the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The visiting Dallas Cowboys pummeled them 33-17 in a recreation that was far more lopsided than the rating indicated. Browns operating again Jerome Ford scored a 2-yard speeding landing in opposition to Cowboys backups with 29 seconds left to place lipstick on the pig that was their Sunday afternoon efficiency. 

Watson was on the heart of the battle bus, throwing for 169 yards, one landing (a 6-yarder to extensive receiver Jerry Jeudy) and two interceptions — each coming off of deflections — whereas being sacked six occasions. It is value noting that each left sort out Jedrick Wills (knee) and proper sort out Jack Conklin (knee) each didn’t play on Sunday, which actually made Watson’s efforts in opposition to Micah Parsons, who racked an NFL-most 9 quarterback pressures to go together with a sack, and the Cowboys go rush an uphill climb. 

When digging into a few of the next-level numbers on Watson’s afternoon, the image they paint is nauseating. Per CBS Sports activities Zach Pereles, Watson is the one quarterback out of 1,752 occurrences of a quarterback throwing a minimum of 10 passes 15 or extra yards downfield in a recreation to not full a single a type of throws. 

Watson Superior Passing Numbers from Week 1 vs. Cowboys 

• 0-for-10 on passes 15 or extra air yards downfield 
• 0-for-4 on passes 20 or extra yards downfield 
• 3-for-12 when throwing below stress for 10 yards
• 2-for-9 passing for 13 yards along with three sacks when blitzed 

That’s an abysmal efficiency for a quarterback who held the file for essentially the most assured cash in a contract ($230 million) in league historical past till Sunday morning when the Cowboys re-signed three-time Professional Bowler Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract with $231 million assured. In actual fact, Watson has been one of many league’s worst quarterbacks for the reason that Browns traded for him and re-signed him to his five-year, $230 million absolutely assured deal in March 2022. 

With that in thoughts, is Cleveland’s choice to accumulate him and re-sign him the worst transaction in NFL historical past? Let’s weigh his acquisition price, efficiency and contract worth to return to a decisive conclusion. 

Watson commerce phrases

Cleveland despatched six draft picks, together with three first-rounders, Houston’s means in alternate for Watson:

• A 2022 first-round decide (thirteenth)
• A 2022 fourth-round decide (104)
• A 2023 first-round decide (12)
• A 2023 third-round decide (73)
• A 2024 first-round decide (23)
• A 2024 fourth-round decide (123)

Here’s what the Texans ended up doing with all that draft capital: 

All of these strikes resulted within the Texans having 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the 12 months Will Anderson Jr., beginning extensive receiver Tank Dell, beginning left guard Kenyon Inexperienced, beginning free security Calen Bullock, beginning cornerback Kamari Lassiter, extensive receiver John Metchie III, linebacker Christian Harris, operating again Dameon Pierce, linebacker Jamal Hill and tight finish Cade Stover. Additionally they have an additional 2025 second-round decide, by way of the Vikings, due to the compensation they acquired from the Browns. 

Hannah McNair, the Texans vice chairman accountable for the Houston Texans Basis and spouse of group proprietor Cal McNair, commented on the commerce as an “Final Fan”  podcast visitor on Aug. 30. Her remarks have been one other signal of Houston taking a victory lap on fleecing the Browns. 

“Have you ever thanked a Brown recently?” she stated. “I thank ’em for all of our gamers.”

Watson the soccer participant

Watson earned three consecutive Professional Bowl alternatives from 2018-2020 with the Houston Texans, and he performed like a top-five quarterback in 2020. He threw for a league-leading 4,823 passing yards, the third-best landing to interception ratio (33-7) and the second-best passer score (112.4) within the NFL behind solely 2020 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and his 121.5 passer score. 

Then, Watson bumped into some authorized points. He was sued by 25 ladies on allegations from sexual harassment to sexual assault  beginning in March 2021. That led to him sitting out your complete 2021 season with the Houston Texans with a commerce demand and whereas being the defendant in quite a few sexual harassment civil lawsuits. Watson was then suspended 11 video games for his alleged misdeeds, and he returned to NFL: motion in Week 13 of the 2022 season on the Texans, of all potential matchups. He was knocked out with a shoulder harm that required surgical procedure in Week 10 of the 2023 season that required season-ending surgical procedure. 

Throughout the prior two seasons from 2022-2023, his time because the Browns quarterback earlier than Sunday’s recreation in opposition to Dallas, Watson performed like one of many 10 worst quarterbacks in soccer in that span. 

Watson as a Brown from 2022-2023

* Amongst 45 QBs with 300+ go makes an attempt

His largest distinction from his three-time Professional Bowl profession with the Houston Texans (2017-2021) and his putrid begin to his Browns profession is his deep ball effectivity or somewhat lack thereof. Watson was one of many 10 best quarterbacks in soccer when throwing passes of 20 or extra air yards in Houston with a 43% completion price on such throws, the sixth greatest within the NFL. In Cleveland, that determine declined to twenty-eight%, which ranks thirty eighth amongst 45 quarterbacks with a minimum of 300 passing makes an attempt since 2022. 

That is why his efficiency in opposition to the Cowboys to begin the 2024 season is so jarring. It is a far cry from the elite quarterback he was. 

Watson’s predecessor, 2018 first total decide Baker Mayfield, is now thriving with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which makes this deal that rather more painful. Mayfield performed by means of an early-season harm in his throwing shoulder in 2021 after he awkwardly tackled a defender who was returning an intercepted go, and Cleveland opted to dump the quarterback who helped make them their first playoff victory (in 2020) for the reason that 1994 season when Invoice Belichick was their coach.

Mayfield turned a Professional Bowler final season with the Buccaneers, posting career-high numbers in completion share (64.3%), passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28). Mayfield carried out like a prime 10 quarterback as he ranked ninth in passing yards and seventh in passing touchdowns in 2023. He even tossed yet one more landing within the common season than Tremendous Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (27 regular-season touchdowns in 2023). This manufacturing earned him a three-year, $100 million extension with $40 million assured with the Buccaneers. In Week 1 on Sunday in opposition to the Washington Commanders, Mayfield threw for 289 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interception on 24 of 30 passing for a 146.4 passer score. That 146.4 passer score is the perfect of Week 1 previous to “Sunday Evening Soccer” and “Monday Evening Soccer.”

Secure to say the Browns want they nonetheless employed Mayfield given he’s inarguably the higher quarterback right this moment. 

Watson’s contract worth

Signing a participant who sat out a complete season for authorized points to the primary fully-guaranteed quarterback contract in NFL historical past merely wasn’t clever. It gave Cleveland no outs if his tenure with the Browns turned out the way in which it has. It is also value noting Cleveland felt like that they had to do that as a result of they have been competing with the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons on the time for the appropriate to commerce for him, and he had initially dominated them out as a result of the Georgia native did not need to reside as far north as Ohio. 

Following contract restructures, Watson has a 2025 and 2026 cap hit of $72.935 million within the closing two seasons of the deal. Chopping him earlier than June 1 subsequent offseason would lead to a web lack of $99.799 million in 2025 and a web lack of $26.864 million within the 2026 offseason in response to OverTheCap.com. There’s merely no means out of the deal for the Browns with out punitive monetary penalties. 

Verdict

The Cleveland Browns’ commerce for and re-signing of quarterback Deshaun Watson is the only worst transaction in NFL historical past. The one commerce that comes shut is the Minnesota Vikings’ acquisition of operating again Herschel Walker from the Dallas Cowboys. It was the biggest commerce in NFL historical past, and the Cowboys used the ammunition from this commerce to construct a core that received three Tremendous Bowls in 4 years in 1992, 1993 and 1995. They flipped the draft capital beneath to accumulate the NFL’s all-time main rusher in operating again Emmitt Smith, Professional Bowl defensive lineman Russell Maryland and three-time First-Staff All-Professional defensive again Darren Woodson.

Vikings Acquired

• RB Herschel Walker
• 1990 third-round Decide 
• 1990 fifth-round Decide 
• 1990 Tenth-round Decide 
• 1991 third-round Decide 

Cowboys Acquired

• LB Jesse Solomon
• LB David Howard
• CB Issiac Holt
• DE Alex Stewart
• 1990 first-round Decide 
• 1990 second-round Decide 
• 1990 sixth-round Decide 
• 1991 first-round Decide
• 1991 second-round Decide 
• 1992 first-round Decide 
• 1992 second-round Decide  
• 1992 third-round Decide 

What makes the Browns’ deal for Watson the worst ever isn’t solely they did forfeit six draft picks, together with three firsts, however they gave him what was the very best contract assure ($230 million) in league historical past, till Sunday, on a five-year deal with none outs. Not solely is the lack of draft capital horrendous, however the wage cap crunch Watson’s contract will put Cleveland in throughout the following two years in 2025 and 2026 is catastrophic. These are the entire soccer the explanation why the Browns’ Watson acquisition is the worst deal in NFL historical past. 

Then there are the non-football causes just like the PR hit the franchise has taken by making somebody who was sued a minimum of 25 occasions in civil courtroom for sexual harassment the face of their group. Both means you slice it, the Browns’ commerce and re-signing of Watson set their franchise again for years in such a prohibitive means that Cleveland is now the brand new proprietor of the worst personnel transfer in NFL historical past.