Cleveland Browns: Grading the moves from Day 1 of free agency
Browns acquire Brock Osweiler and a 2018 second-round pick from the Houston Texans
The most shocking transaction on day one of NFL free agency came when the Browns and Texans struck a deal which involved quarterback Brock Osweiler. The details of the trade reported by Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.
Browns get: Osweiler, 2017 R6, 2018 R2
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 9, 2017
Texans get: 2017 R4, cap space
The Texans admitted a mistake in signing Brock Osweiler to a big contract by trading him away to the Cleveland Browns. The Texans wanted to dump his salary in order to clear salary cap in order to make an attempt to sign Tony Romo.
Why would the Browns do this you may ask? The Browns front office places a high value on draft picks and to take Osweiler’s $16 million a year contract the Browns were able to acquire a second-round pick for 2018 from Houston.
It is reported the Browns have no plans to go forward with Osweiler as the quarterback of the future and did this trade to acquire the valuable future draft selection. With over $100 million to spend the Browns essentially bought a second-round pick for $16 million.
The Browns are in the process of now trying to find another trade partner to ship Osweiler to or they may simply release him. However, if Osweiler stays on the roster, he is set to make $16 million this season and the Browns will not owe him any guaranteed money past the 2017 season. The Browns have a surplus of salary to spend and will absorb Oswelier’s contract for the meantime to give the team potential draft and trade assets.
GRADE: A+
A salary dump trade is often seen in the MLB or NBA and is rarely if ever seen in professional football. Give the Browns front office credit for coming up with a creative way to acquire another valuable draft asset.