Browns owner admits team ‘took a big swing and miss’ on Deshaun Watson

Cleveland co-owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that the Browns “took a big swing and miss” with their 2022 trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Haslam made the comments on Monday during a session with Browns reporters at the league meetings in Florida.

“We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole,” Haslam said. “Listen, I’ve said this, I think numerous times, Deshaun Watson was an entire organization decision and it ends with (co-owner) Dee (Haslam) and I, so hold us accountable.”

The 29-year-old Watson has played in only 19 games since the Browns acquired him from the Houston Texans in 2022 and signed him to a five-year contract worth a fully guaranteed $230 million. Cleveland sent five draft picks to the Texans, including three first-round selections, to get the embattled quarterback.

Watson may miss the entire 2025 season after rupturing his right Achilles tendon for the second time in three months in January. He originally injured it during an Oct. 20, 2024, loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

In 2022, Watson missed the first 11 games because of a league suspension. He made just six starts in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury and started seven last year before the Achilles tendon injury.

Watson is 9-10 with Cleveland with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 80.7 passer rating.

The Browns have reworked Watson’s contract twice since December. Void years were added through 2030 to give them additional financial flexibility to spread out dead money on the contract instead of taking a massive hit in one season.

Cleveland has insurance that protects the contract and could get some cap relief from the NFL if he is out for the season.

The Browns have the second pick in the upcoming NFL Draft after going 3-14 in 2024. They have hosted Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward — the top two quarterback prospects — and have the 33rd overall pick if they wait until the second round or want to move up to get another first-round pick.

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Haslam, though, is not saying the Browns need to take a quarterback after Tennessee makes its selection to open the draft.

“I think the message is if the right person’s there, we’re going to take him,‘’ Haslam said. “If not, we’ll figure it out for a year or two until we get the right person. There’s good football players in this draft and we’ve got to make sure we get the right ones for us.”

Besides Watson, the only other quarterback on Cleveland’s roster is Kenny Pickett, who was acquired from Philadelphia. The Browns had Russell Wilson in for a visit before he signed with the New York Giants.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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