Unless Deshaun Watson wins the Cleveland Browns' starting job this offseason, balls out, gets a long-term contract, balls out again, and leads the team to playoff contention, the 2022 trade that brought him to Berea will go down as the worst in franchise history. It's right up there with the worst moves in professional sports history.
However, things could've been quite different. In fact, as recently revealed by Leonard Fournette and Jarvis Landry, there was a real chance that the Browns wouldn't have gotten Watson when he was adamant about leaving the Houston Texans.
In the first edition of their 4th and South podcast, the duo of former NFL players recounted how they were in a group text with Watson discussing joining the Atlanta Falcons. Then, all of a sudden, they found out Watson would play for the Browns.
"It is me, Mr. Jarvis Landry, and Deshaun Watson, on the phone," Fournette said. "Deshaun's like, 'You know, I'm thinking about going to Atlanta,' so I'm like, 'A'ight, perfect, keep us in touch. Let us know what you're gonna do.' ... We talked for, like, 15 minutes about Atlanta," Landry added.
Deshaun Watson nearly chose the Falcons before Browns stepped in
Andrew Berry's (and also Jimmy Haslam's) decision to give Watson a fully-guaranteed contract shifted the scales in Cleveland's favor. It was a risky decision for a guy who had been out for so long because of his off-the-field issues, and it proved to be disastrous.
Landry ultimately played another season for the New Orleans Saints before retiring, while Fournette stayed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another year before his final season with the Buffalo Bills. Watson, per their story, reached out to them afterward to apologize for not keeping them in the loop.
He should also apologize to Browns fans, though. In the four years since his arrival in Northeast Ohio, Watson has been either suspended, hurt, or has played poorly. His completion percentage fell from 67.8 percent in Houston to 61.2 percent. He has 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 9-10 record.
The Browns sold the farm to get Watson and a sixth-round pick. They traded six draft picks — including three first-round selections — while the Texans propelled their rebuild with players like defensive end Will Anderson Jr., wide receiver Tank Dell, and running back Dameon Pierce.
Even worse, Watson's massive contract severely limited the team's ability to make big signings. Even this year, they had to restructure his contract again to lower his cap hit to "just" $44.95 million, and he will still carry just over $87 million in dead-cap charges for the next two years. He's not likely to be in Cleveland by then, but the ripple effects of this terrible transaction will linger until 2028 at the very least.
Of course, at the time, trading for Watson was viewed as a good move. The team was on the verge of playoff contention and was ready to move on from Baker Mayfield. Not even the most pessimistic fan saw this coming. That said, after all these years, it's impossible not to wonder how different things would be if he had joined the Falcons as planned.