Throwback Thursday: Cleveland Browns quarterbacks with Super Bowl rings

Did Brock Osweiler play for the Browns? Sort of.

He had a trade named after him. An “Osweiler deal” means to trade for a very overpaid player and actually get an additional draft pick as an inducement to pick up his salary. The Osweiler deal happened in 2017, whereas just two years earlier he had been quarterbacking the Denver Broncos in place of Peyton Manning and doing a fair job of it.

However the next year he went free agent and wound up with the Houston Texans and Coach Bill O’Brien. Osweiler played poorly though still at the NFL level, and O’Brien demoted him in favor of Tom Savage. However, Savage received a concussion in the second quarter, and at halftime the decision was relayed to him that he was not going to be allowed to return to the game. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tells the rest of the story.

"“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Savage became very upset, knocking things around in the locker room and otherwise making a ruckus about having his status jeopardized by a doctor’s decision to keep him from playing. At or about the same time, coach Bill O’Brien informed Osweiler that he’d be finishing the game. Osweiler, per the source, reacted negatively, telling O’Brien in the visiting coach’s office at Nissan Stadium in Nashville that he’s only playing Osweiler because O’Brien needs him. [Editor’s note: That’s sort of how football depth charts work.] An argument ensued, voices were raised. At one point, it’s believed that Osweiler got up to walk away and O’Brien threw out an arm to stop him. That prompted Osweiler to act as if he were being “held hostage,” a claim that he would repeat (per the source) in the days after the game.” — Florio"

It is hard to not laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but that is how Osweiler became radioactive and was offered to the Browns along with a second-round draft pick. Just pay his salary, Browns. So they did, $16 million worth.

For the record, this fan thought that Osweiler deserved the benefit of the doubt, because even though he is a successful coach, O’Brien has the reputation of being hard to get along with, especially with quarterbacks including Tom Brady.

The Browns never played Osweiler in the regular season, although for a few milliseconds he was at the top of the depth chart in pre-season. The story is that they were just overwhelmed by the rapid progress made by rookie DeShone Kiser, and had no need for a veteran quarterback. Right.

That is why Osweiler makes the list. The team paid $16 million for him, so he should be considered to have been a member of the team, however briefly.

Osweiler’s Super Bowl ring was earned in 2015 with Denver.  He actually outplayed a damaged Peyton Manning, going 5-2 as the starter. The thought was that Manning would be better in the playoffs, and so Osweiler returned to the backup role.