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NFL | Sep 25

Is the Deshaun Watson Trade the Worst in NFL History?

Former Texans Star Hasn’t Met Expectations. His Tenure With the Browns Could End Sooner Rather Than Later.

Is the Deshaun Watson Trade the Worst in NFL History?
Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns | Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP

Dreadful Performances 😬

All that’s left is the shell of a person we once believed was a rival to Patrick Mahomes.

I’ll be waiting for the day when the NFL news is about the Cleveland Browns publicly admitting they dropped the ball in trading for Deshaun Watson in 2022 and agreeing to the most ludicrous contract in NFL history.

Even if you can set aside his off-field problems after more than two dozen women accused him of misconduct, the on-field results the Browns are paying top dollar for have been nothing short of disastrous.

Remember, the Deshaun Watson contract set a record for being $230 million fully guaranteed. They basically cannot get out of it before 2026 without paying a hefty amount of dead cap money, and no one is going to want to trade for this mess.

Let’s also not forget that the Browns gave up first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024 as well as a third-round pick in 2023 and a couple of fourth-round picks for Watson.

What has Watson given them in return? Terrible play, no leadership, and a sense of hopelessness and shame as long as he’s the Browns’ quarterback. You know you’ve messed up when you make Jameis Winston, Watson’s backup, look like the good moral character in the quarterback room.

Just waiting for the NFL rumors in the locker room wanting Winston to start instead. Maybe they’d win some games.

 

What Is Deshaun Watson’s Win-Loss Record?

Future historians need to understand there’s a lot more to this than the win-loss record, which is trending to get worse the more Watson plays. He is 9-6 as a starter in Cleveland, but that’s largely because the defense held the opponent under 15 points in 7-of-9 wins, and a 39-38 win against the 2023 Colts saw Watson leave early with an injury.

His biggest win, 33-31 over Baltimore last year, saw Lamar Jackson throw a pick-six in the fourth quarter too. Watson is not helping this team win many NFL games.

It’s also alarming that Watson is seemingly the only quarterback that coach Kevin Stefanski can’t make work in his offense. The Browns have gotten closer to a title “Browns Fans Have to Be Sick After Seeing Deshaun Watson & Baker Mayfield Play” Super Bowl with Baker Mayfield and 38-year-old Joe Flacco than they have with Watson. Hell, even Jacoby Brissett outplayed him in 2022 while Watson served his 11-game suspension.

Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year, the offense has had good pieces, but Watson continues to struggle and only seems to be getting worse.

Lost His Magic

Watson’s decline in performance from what he did in Houston (2017-20) is so steep that it’s hard to think of another elite quarterback who fell off this hard before he turned 30:

  • Watson in Houston: 67.8% complete, 5.9% touchdown pass rate, 8.3 yards per attempt, 269.2 passing yards per game, 104.5 passer rating.
  • Watson in Cleveland: 59.3% complete, 3.7% touchdown pass rate, 6.1 yards per attempt, 184.5 passing yards per game, 79.1 passer rating.

Just dreadful. Watson’s 22.5 QBR is the lowest among quarterbacks still starting in 2024. He has always been a sack merchant, but he used to make up for it with consistent passing and big plays. That’s gone now.

All that’s left is the shell of a person we once believed was a rival to Patrick Mahomes. Now he’s just the face of the worst trade in NFL history.

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