As the Browns slump to a 1-4 start this season, their $246 million guaranteed investment in Deshaun Watson appears worrisome. The dismissal isn’t an option due to the massive dead cap hit they’d incur. Thus, Nick Wright has suggested a solution, which he believes is the team’s only option.
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During the recent episode of What’s Wright with Nick Wright, the analyst made up a trade scenario for the Browns to consider. He pointed out that instead of a devastating $172 million dead money hit, they should trade him to a team with ample cap space next year.
He said that offering Watson, along with their 1st round pick might do the trick. It will lower the dead cap from 172 million dollars to an approximate $80 million.
” It is onboard that after this year Cleveland their escape hatch is finding a team with a lot of cap space and trading DeShaun along with their own first-round pick to a team just so that team can cut him. You get DeShaun, and the 4th pick of the draft, for a conditional 7th-rounder. That would be unprecedented but that’s the only escape hatch,” Wright voiced.
In five games, Watson has thrown for just 852 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions, averaging a mere 4.8 yards per attempt. He has yet to throw for even 200 yards. However, the yardage isn’t the only narrative vouching for the QB’s bad season.
The passing game has been subpar as well, with the longest play pass being a 30-yarder. While the whole blame cannot be placed on him alone, his over 20 sacks and the Browns battling multiple injuries have put Watson in a tough spot.
Even his 2023 season wasn’t that impressive. Despite the team’s 11-6 standing, Watson accumulated only 7 TDs for 1,115 yards with a completion rate of 61.4. These numbers have led many to question his deal with the Browns.
Is the DeShaun Watson contract the worst in NFL history?
There is a long list of bad trades in NFL history, including Bryce Young and Herschel Walker. However, arguably the fans and analysts have crowned Watson‘s deal as the worst of all.
After several off-field issues, the Texans agreed to trade their star QB and 6th-round pick for Brown‘s 2022 first and fourth-round picks, 2023 first and third-round selections, and 2024 first and fourth-round draft picks.
Additionally, Watson received a whopping five-year $230 million deal, fully guaranteed.
The draft capital that went to Houston kickstarted a new era for the Texans, helping them revive the franchise by rebuilding their squad. Meanwhile, Cleveland still faces the effects of that trade and will probably take a long time to recover from this.
As the criticism is soaring high, Kevin Stefanski remains firm in his stance on not benching Watson. Instead, he has taken the blame on himself and his playcalling. But fans believe that only a Super Bowl can turn this “worst” deal into an ideal one.
Everything is not lost yet and the season is just warming up. The Browns have to do is shift gears and try to capitalize on their defense just like the 1992 Chargers, who started their season 0-3 and made it to the playoffs.
