After today’s update to Deshaun Watson‘s legal situation, it is expected his trade market will intensify very quickly. A number of teams have long been known to be interested in the Pro Bowler, but another name to add to that list is the Browns. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the team has “done [its] homework” on Watson, and will continue to keep an eye on his availability. 
[RELATED: No Criminal Charges For Watson]
While Cabot is quick to note that “it remains to be seen if they’ll try to trade for him”, the fact they have done their due diligence on the matter is noteworthy. The Browns have Baker Mayfield under contract for one more year – the fully guaranteed fifth-year option, valued at $18.8MM – and have publicly backed him as their starter for at least 2022.
Cabot also recalls that the Browns were among the teams who rated Mitch Trubisky over Watson amongst QBs in the 2017 draft, in which the team selected Myles Garrett first overall. Cleveland also owned pick No. 12 that year, but traded it to Houston, who then landed one of the league’s best young signal-callers. Trading for Watson (who has a no-trade clause and a scheduled cap hit of over $40MM for next year) could, then, represent the righting of an organizational wrong in a sense.
Still, the Browns would face competition from the likes of the Buccaneers, Panthers and Seahawks to land Watson. Their stated priority with respect to upgrading the offense – the primary cause of 2021’s disappointing performance – has been to add to the wide receiver room. Between the “soul-searching” Cabot notes the team would do before executing any deal, as well as the acquisition cost of a trade, Cleveland therefore may well find itself among the clubs bowing out of serious consideration. Nevertheless, they could become another team to keep an eye on regarding one of the league’s top storylines.
Has Mary Kay Cabot ever been right about anything?
Enough already. If you think you can do better then try to get in that field of work. Until then please stop bitching.
Sounds like something a MKC burner account would say
Sounds like someone’s dad over protecting
I would but I have too many scruples to lie constantly just to get clicks. She’s horrendous at her job and shouldn’t be taken seriously in any situation.
The Pirates are horrendous and shouldn’t be taken seriously yet your scruples apparently allow you to support them.
If anything that proves my scruples, any reasonable person would have jumped ship years ago.
Are you having a bad day bro?
Still think he will wear midnight green as an Philadelphia eagle
I certainly hope not.
I agree with you. Only other team with enough draft capital is the Lions and Sheila wont sign off on it.
I think plenty of teams have enough draft capital. We’re still talking about a player they absolutely have to trade.
Yes, because long before these accusations came out he was salty about not having say in the hiring process and wanted out of Houston.
Watson may be a scumbag, but he wasn’t wrong to want to get away from that franchise.
No instead he will get a fate worse than death… being traded to Cleveland
Cleveland is a vastly more desirable place to play football these days.
OBJ sure thought so, didn’t he?
OBJ was traded to Cleveland…didnt want to be there and did all he could to get out
Now do the list of people who’ve pushed to get out of Houston.
Yep, that was my point. Whether he was traded there or not, he didn’t want to be there.
Eh. Theres worse places than houston. Jets come to mind.
Players last off season didnt seem scared away. They signed a lot of guys to one or two year deals last off season. Not big names but they signed a decent amount of veterans looking to rebuild value during a rebuilding year.
Kirksey
Ingram
Burkhead
Lindsey
Conley
Grueger Hill
Off top of my head.
Those generally seem like guys who are happy there’s an NFL team that would want them and play them.
That why some got traded during the season? Lack of interest?
Theyre veterans. Guys looking to rebuild value arent going to take deals where theyre barely play as backups. Theyll go where they can play more.
Kirksey and Gruiger Hill actually had decent seasons. So did Collins and Britt.
He should wear an orange jump suit for the DOC
Austin 3:16 wishes he could upvote this a billion times
And that’s the bottom line cause stone cold said so
He’s an abuser and a Pro Bowler? Wonder if he ever bowled a 300 game
Let the dog eat this homework
It will probably come to that if the homework done on Watson is as bad as the homework done on Manziel and Kizer.
Browns, not much catching options, long history of being absolutely trash, quickly running out of cap space and also don’t have much draft capital.
Eagles, make the most logical destination. They have alot of draft capital, they have a young QB with value that they aren’t fully committed too. Have attacking weapons, have an o line and not a terrible defence. Also relatively easy division.
Still think the Giants make alot of sense. Apparently Watson like Daboll, big city, has attacking options, has cap space and has draft capital. Also has a bunch of players they could offer aswell.
Personally I think the giants should go all in on him. He’s the kind of player that could turn the franchise around. As an Eagles fan I still like Jalen Hurts alot. However if we offered up Hurts, picks 15, 16 and a future third and for Watson I’d be happy with that.
Keep one of the firsts, get Watson. Watson Sanders Goedert Smith Reagor (trade for a vet WR) and that alright o line I’d be happy.
Quickly running out of cap space for the Browns? Did they sign a bunch of people I’m not aware of? Do you just make up stuff?
Landry, Ward, Conklin and Tretter all need new deals soon.
Njoku just got tagged. Making him the 7th highest paid TE, to go with Hooper the 10th highest paid TE.
Wyatt Telles just got an extension making him the 3rd highest paid guard.
Bitonio is the highest paid guard and he just got his deal not that long ago.
Chubb recently became the 6th highest paid RB, to go with Hunt the 12th highest paid.
Tretter is the 5th highest paid centre.
Myles Garrett is the 3rd highest paid Edge.
John Johnson who you got not that long ago he’s the 2nd highest paid SS
As I said you’ve got a lot of guys getting paid too dollar for their positions, plus key players needing Jew extensions and that all without factoring in a QB the highest paid position
Just because a players up for a new contract doesn’t mean they’re getting one. Laundry’s as good as gone and his release will add a good chunk of money back to our Cap. Jc Tretter is on his last legs and hasn’t practiced in 2 years. He most likely will retire when his contracts up. That’s why they have the young Nick Harris on his rookie deal to replace him when his time come. Which may be this off-season if he gets cut for the sake of saving money. Keenum will also be gone, that saves us a bunch of money. Myles Garrets contact is backloaded and doesn’t make nearly as much as he will towards the end of his contract. So our cap isn’t Strapped the way you think, Andrew Berry has done a good job at keeping our Players Salaries very flexible, with easy outs if needed.
And to add to that what do you mean the browns don’t have any Draft capital? Just because a team doesn’t have several 1st rounders, that doesn’t mean they don’t have any capital. They still retain all their picks with the addition of some 3rd rounders,etc. A team without much draft capital would be a team like the Rams. If you have all your picks for the next 3 years still in house, you have capital.
This is like Kobe all over again. Hey he can throw a football 10 feet he can’t go away for life. Bunch of cowards in this world.
Browns are a trash organization just like anyone else interested in trading for this scumbag