Why the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson trade should go down as the worst trade in NFL history

The Cleveland Browns have lived in quarterback purgatory for decades. It’s why the franchise chose to trade for Deshaun Watson amid more than two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct. Less than two years later, the Browns’ quarterback woes continue.

Since the 1999 NFL season, the Browns have had 36 different players start at quarterback in a regular-season game. While the level of performance has varied, Derek Anderson (2007) was the only one to receive a Pro Bowl selection since 1987.

Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Houston Texans, was supposed to fix all that and turn Cleveland into a Super Bowl contender. Instead, the Browns may now be responsible for the worst trade in NFL history and the ramifications will last for years to come.

Cleveland had a good quarterback situation in 2022. While Watson served his suspension, Jacoby Brissett performed like an above-average starting quarterback. Meanwhile, backup Joshua Dobbs has since proven to be an effective fill-in starter.

At a minimum, Watson has been outperformed by Brissett and his numbers are on par with Dobbs’ starts with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals. We can also compare Watson’s numbers to some other mid-tier quarterbacks who are viewed as fringe starters.

Explanations can be made for why Watson is struggling. He went 700 days without playing in a regular-season game, receiving limited practice reps across 1.5 seasons when he was either suspended or not allowed to play for Houston. It’s why the 2023 season was supposed to be the year when it all came together.

Of course, Watson’s shoulder injury could be attributed to some of his woes this season. Originally suffered in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans, the 28-year-old has already missed multiple games this season because of damage to his subscapularis muscle, which impacted the velocity, accuracy and mechanics of his throws.

Of course, Watson’s shoulder injury could also be attributed to how he’s played the game. In Houston, the Texans’ organization had long-term concerns about Watson’s ability to hold up because he held onto the football too long, taking 155 sacks (2018-’20).

Nothing has changed in Cleveland. At the very least, the time away from football has seemed to make Watson’s decision-making versus pressure worse and his responsibility for the pressures allowed hasn’t improved.

While time to recover might’ve healed Watson’s shoulder injury and will lead to him making more accurate throws, spending even more time away from the field won’t improve how he responds to pressure. Plus, the constant duress and hits he experiences lead to even greater long-term injury risks.

Fittingly, the biggest reason why this is the worst trade in NFL history is because of what made it happen. A single decision made by owner Jimmy Haslam is the primary reason why the Browns are stuck in a self-created impossible situation they can’t escape from.

Cleveland didn’t do itself any favors long-term by restructuring Watson’s contract in March of this year. While it provided the Browns’ front office with short-term cap flexibility, it also meant there would be an even heftier price to pay in the years to come. Here’s why that matters.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Browns are projected to only have $6.079 million of cap space in 2024. For context, Cleveland would have the eighth-lowest cap space next spring. Just as concerning, the Browns are one of only three NFL teams projected to have less than $50 million of cap space in 2025. Now, let’s look at their key players who will need to be paid market value in the years to come.

The Browns have constructed one of the best rosters in the NFL and there’s a strong argument to be made that their defense will never be better than it is right now. Getting Nick Chubb back in 2024 will help this offense, but that still leaves Chubb, Elijah Moore and Amari Cooper among the club’s top free agents in 2025. In short, Cleveland has a short window before things could get much worse because of Watson’s deal.

A few months ago, some thought the Denver Broncos’ trade for Russell Wilson would go down as the worst trade in NFL history. Like Watson, the Broncos signed Wilson to one of the largest contracts in professional sports and saddled themselves with long-term cap woes. Yet, Wilson is clean off the field and is playing well this year with Sean Payton.