Jimmy Haslam

Andrew Berry: Browns Brass Was Aligned On 2022 Deshaun Watson Trade

November 6th, 2024 at 10:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Browns sink to the AFC North basement following the offseason extensions for Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, assigning blame for the Deshaun Watson decisions will come up as the organization moves forward.

Jimmy Haslam came out and said his GM hatched the plan to propose Watson the fully guaranteed $230MM. That contract call prompted the quarterback to waive his no-trade clause for Cleveland after he had previously eliminated the team from consideration. Two-plus years after Haslam’s comments, Berry said the organization was in agreement on the move.

Asked if ownership mandated the Watson trade cross the goal line two years ago, Berry said (via ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi) “All of us were on board.” This aligns with a recent report indicating Stefanski was in agreement with Berry about the trade, one that led Baker Mayfield to Charlotte and ultimately has the Browns in a historic predicament.

Watson’s Achilles tear prevented Stefanski from making the decision to bench the high-priced starter, as the fifth-year Browns HC had repeatedly said the embattled QB gave the team the best chance to win. Watson ranks last in QBR. When asked if a healthy Watson would play for the Browns again, Berry said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot), “It’s always possible.” Stefanski had declined to confirm, due largely to Watson’s health, the QB would be his 2025 starter.

Berry, who was hired two weeks after Stefanski in 2020, said the two-time Coach of the Year is “part of the solution,” via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling. If ownership is to move on despite signing Berry and Stefanski to extensions (of unknown length), it would be unexpected that one would stay and the other would go. So, Berry’s endorsement may not carry too much weight here. At 2-7 and with Watson’s guarantees running through 2026, the Browns’ power duo should certainly not be considered locks to return in 2025.

The Browns outflanked the Falcons to land Watson, whom the Panthers and Saints also pursued as finalists three offseasons ago. All teams had agreed on trade terms with the Texans, who collected a historic haul for the Pro Bowl QB. Berry has seen his ability to build a roster around Watson take a hit due to the Browns not having a first-round pick since the trade. The Browns became the first team since the 1976 49ers (Jim Plunkett) to trade three first-rounders for a veteran QB; to say the deal has backfired would be a mild assessment of the situation.

Watson has not fit in Stefanski’s offense, with his play further declining despite the Browns booting OC Alex Van Pelt for Ken Dorsey this year. Dorsey is now calling the plays in Cleveland, with Stefanski stepping back for the first time in his tenure, but Jameis Winston — a Watson-backed QB addition — is at the controls. When asked if he regrets not bringing back Joe Flacco, who said repeatedly he wanted to return after his Comeback Player of the Year campaign, Berry responded (via Easterling) the he has “a lot of confidence” in the Browns’ current QB room. Flacco said the Browns did not offer him a deal.

Helping build rosters that feature a host of eight-figure-per-year players, Berry authorized two restructures of Watson’s contract — the second of which coming in August. That created cap space in 2023 and 2024 but has two monster cap numbers staring at the Browns for 2025 and ’26. Watson is due to count $72.9MM on Cleveland’s next two payrolls. With the eighth-year player settling his latest civil suit, the chances the Browns are bailed out by a second personal conduct suspension have been reduced. Though, an NFL investigation continues.

As it stands, the Browns are on the hook for two more fully guaranteed $46MM base salaries — and the inflated cap hits that came from the restructures. It would cost the Browns $172MM to cut Watson in 2025, and even though that would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 transaction, the sum would more than double the current single-player dead money record — Russell Wilson‘s $83MM-plus tab the Broncos are navigating. Wilson’s dead cap more than doubling the previous single-player record illustrates how far into uncharted territory the Browns are because of their controversial 2022 trade.

When asked about how Watson’s contract will hinder the Browns down the road, Berry responded (via Cabot) “We’ll be able to build a team” regardless of that deal being on the books. Whether Berry is around to make those decisions will be perhaps the lead Browns storyline entering the 2025 offseason.

While Haslam authorized Berry and Stefanski extensions, the owner has been quite active in firing HCs and execs during his 13-year tenure. Will the Watson decisions sink both Berry and Stefanski (or just one?), or will ownership exercise uncharacteristic patience following this season’s significant step back?

Browns Brass Agreed Deshaun Watson Was Team’s Best Starter Option

November 1st, 2024 at 10:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The first third of the Browns’ season brought consistent scrutiny on Kevin Stefanski‘s decision to keep starting Deshaun Watson. The former Texans Pro Bowler had rarely resembled his Houston version in Cleveland and had bottomed out this season, producing the league’s worst QBR among qualified passers during his seven starts.

Weekly calls for Watson to be benched rang out, but with Browns ownership and GM Andrew Berry not making themselves available to address this big-picture issue, Stefanski continued to do so. Stefanski had kept indicating Watson would not be benched, but the two-time NFL Coach of the Year shed some light on the organization’s decision-making process by confirming he had discussed the matter with Berry and the team’s ownership. It appears the parties were aligned on the decision to avoid benching the struggling starter.

While Stefanski had said ownership was not forcing him to keep starting Watson, who remains tied to a record-shattering guarantee ($230MM), ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi notes the choice to stay the course was agreed upon at all organizational levels. Watson’s Week 8 Achilles tear, of course, changed the Browns’ plan. Although the injury conceivably clouds Watson’s future in Cleveland, his guarantees for 2025 and ’26 — which are currently slated to smash NFL records in terms of cap hits — remain intact.

As many expected he would, Jameis Winston outplayed the 2024 Watson version in Week 8. The free agent pickup completed 27 of 41 passes, including a game-winner to Cedric Tillman, for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns prioritized Winston over Joe Flacco, who said repeatedly he wanted to stay in Cleveland — before ultimately confirming he received no offer to return — but demoted him to the third-string level in Week 7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, however, did not hold the starting gig once Watson went down. After a promising Week 8 — albeit with a boost from some Ravens dropped interceptions — Winston appears the clear-cut Browns starter.

It is not especially surprising the upper reaches of the organization agreed to keep trotting out Watson, who was at the controls as the Browns lost five straight. The team had made a historic investment in the embattled passer, sending the Texans three first-round picks in a package that included other draft choices and greenlighting the five-year, $230MM guaranteed deal. The Browns joined the Falcons, Panthers and Saints in being willing to send three first-rounders to the Texans for Watson, but their $230MM guarantee set them apart. As Watson was on the cusp of choosing Atlanta, the Georgia native backtracked thanks to the whopping guarantee — a figure that has not been approached despite the QB market skyrocketing since.

The Watson contract, which Jimmy Haslam indicated stemmed from a Berry plan, unfolding as it has may well place the HC-GM combination on hot seats despite the Browns authorizing extensions for both this offseason. Stefanski has also given up play-calling duties for the first time in his Browns tenure, handing the role to OC Ken Dorsey. The team did not discuss changing play-callers until Week 8, Dorsey said (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson).

Stefanski’s run as a play-caller stretched back to taking over for a fired John DeFilippo as interim Vikings OC in 2018. Becoming Minnesota’s full-time OC in 2019, Stefanski landed the Browns’ HC job in 2020, arriving two weeks before Berry.

Winston’s early success reflects well on the coach’s scheme, which keyed a playoff berth in 2020 with a healthy Baker Mayfield and obviously flourished with Flacco at the controls en route to a surprising postseason berth last season. Though, with the Browns 2-6 and rumored to be prepared to make more seller’s trades following the Amari Cooper swap, Stefanski may not be out of the woods yet regarding an ouster.

Watson underwent surgery last week. Stefanski did not commit to the high-priced passer as his 2025 starter, though the veteran HC said he still believed in Watson. Thanks to the QB’s two restructures, he is tied to $72.94MM cap numbers in 2025 and ’26. Cutting Watson in 2025 would create an unfathomable $172.73MM dead cap hit, which would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 transaction (which would certainly be necessary in the event of a release). It will now be interesting, given the money still owed to Watson, if the Browns add a starter-caliber arm in 2025.

Kevin Stefanski: Ownership Not Mandating Deshaun Watson Starts

October 16th, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Among qualified starting quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson ranks last in QBR. The Browns are riding an 0-for-26 streak on third down with Watson at the controls. The high-priced passer’s struggles have defined this Browns season and most of the past three, though this year has brought a new low for on-field performance.

As a result of Watson’s poor play, Kevin Stefanski has needed to provide weekly status updates on his starter. The recently extended Browns HC has continued to respond in the affirmative regarding Watson’s starting role, though he has since been asked to clarify if higher-ranking members of the organization are insisting the embattled quarterback stay in the lineup.

Stefanski said recently that he and Andrew Berry discuss decisions with ownership, and while the fifth-year GM should be expected to have a key voice in how his head coach constructs his starting lineup, a question was posed to Stefanski regarding ownership’s role in the Watson matter.

“I don’t get caught up in narratives, but we have a good dialogue with myself, Andrew, ownership about all things that have to do with this team,” Stefanski said, via ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi. “They’ve been nothing but supportive, and any decision when it comes to football is my decision.”

Seeing his offense work best with Joe Flacco and Baker Mayfield (the 2020 version, at least), Stefanski has been unable to tailor it to Watson’s skills. At this point, however, it is fair to question whether Watson would succeed in any offense. A three-time Pro Bowler with the Texans, Watson drew a bidding war that also included the Falcons, Panthers and Saints being willing to trade what the Browns ultimately gave up. In addition to becoming the first team since the 1976 49ers to trade three first-round picks for a veteran quarterback, the Browns also authorized an outlier guarantee ($230MM) for a player who had signed a Texans extension in September 2020.

That guarantee drove Watson to Ohio, rather than Georgia. The results have been borderline catastrophic, and if Watson cannot turn things around quickly, the Browns face an albatross unlike anything previously seen in NFL history. Furthermore, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot adds Berry and Stefanski were aligned on the decision to pursue Watson. While it may well seem like this scenario was forced upon Stefanski, Mayfield had trudged through an injury-plagued 2021 season that brought another step back for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Stefanski is now a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, receiving that honor for coaching Mayfield to a 2020 bounce-back slate — after the 2019 Freddie Kitchens experiment bombed — and then again after Flacco’s stunning resurgence occurred despite widespread injuries on offense. It would stand to reason Jimmy and Dee Haslam would trust Stefanski with this decision, seeing as both he and Berry received offseason extensions.

This Browns staff also pushed for Jameis Winston over Flacco this offseason, with the reigning Comeback Player of the Year not receiving a Browns offer. Winston has 80 starts on his resume from his time in Tampa and New Orleans. Stefanski continues to keep the door closed on Winston stepping in for the struggling Watson.

Though, this is a unique situation due to Watson’s contract, which Berry has now twice restructured. Jimmy Haslam credited Berry with the idea to fully guarantee Watson’s contract back in 2022. While Berry has built an otherwise strong roster, it is now worth wondering — thanks to Watson’s current form — if he could be in danger of following Jon Robinson and Steve Keim as recent GMs to sign extensions only to be fired later that year. No rumors have come out suggesting Berry or Stefanski is in danger, but the longer this goes, the more ownership will want answers for why the historically costly transaction has not panned out.

Watson also recently settled with the latest woman to accuse him of sexual assault, lessening the chances he would face a second suspension. Roger Goodell said (via The Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi) the league is still reviewing the matter, however. Watson needed to have informed the Browns of this incident in order for his future guarantees to be protected. A second ban is about the only chance the Browns have of escaping the guarantees, which are still in place for 2025 and 2026. Thanks to the second restructure, Watson is set to carry cap numbers of $72.9MM in each of those years.

It would cost the Browns a record-obliterating — which is saying something after the Broncos’ Russell Wilson release — $172MM in dead money to cut Watson in 2025. While Nick Chubb is set to make his season debut in Week 7 and the Browns have been without starting O-linemen often this season, it is difficult to find optimism. The team traded Amari Cooper on Tuesday, worsening Watson’s situation. At 1-5, Cleveland may well consider more seller’s moves before the Nov. 5 deadline.

Kevin Stefanski Addresses Browns Ownership’s Role In Football Decisions

October 10th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

In a period featuring high-profile quarterback misfires, the Browns are firmly in that club — perhaps having committed the featured misstep. The Deshaun Watson trade/extension is producing so little it has undercut an otherwise well-built roster. While injuries are affecting Cleveland’s offense, Watson has done little throughout his tenure to indicate he will live up to the five-year, $230MM fully guaranteed deal that had swayed him to waive his no-trade clause for the Browns.

Watson has confirmed Browns ownership offers him regular encouragement, and the Jimmy–Dee Haslam combination authorized extensions for both GM Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski this offseason. While the latter is now a two-time Coach of the Year honoree, Berry runs a front office that pulled the trigger on what may go down as the worst trade in NFL history — when the contractual components are factored in.

Jimmy Haslam said two years ago Berry hatched the plan to give Watson the fully guaranteed deal to convince him to waive his no-trade clause for Cleveland. Watson had eliminated the Browns from consideration and was heading toward committing to the Falcons. The fully guaranteed deal brought him to Ohio, but the Browns have not reaped much from the trade. They entered the season still waiting for Watson’s Houston-era form to resurface. Five games in, calls for his benching have been loud enough Stefanski has been forced to deny he has considered it.

Stefanski’s offense certainly worked better with Joe Flacco at the controls, while Jacoby Brissett was effective in stretches as well during Watson’s suspension. Baker Mayfield also bounced back from his rough 2019 season under Freddie Kitchens, leading the Browns to their first playoff berth in 18 years in 2020. Watson’s poor play points to Stefanski needing to consider using Jameis Winston, whom the Browns signed instead of offering Flacco a deal to return. But the fifth-year Browns HC confirmed ownership would be a part of any decision to bench Watson (or any notable football decision).

“I talk to Andrew. I talk to ownership about our football team,” Stefanski said, via ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi. “… I wouldn’t get into all the specifics. I think you guys know that we make great decisions together. I obviously talk to Andrew about everything we do. We talk to ownership about everything we do. That’s just how we operate.”

Owners widely meddle in football matters, as is their right even when they obviously carry less insight compared to football ops personnel. However, this particular group having significant involvement in football matters is interesting due to its past. Prior to landing on the Berry-Stefanski tandem, the Haslams cycled through six head coaches (counting interim 2018 HC Gregg Williams) and five football ops bosses since buying the team in 2012.

The Browns became the second team to finish 0-16, completing a 4-44 stretch from 2015-17. That span came after Jimmy Haslam pushed for Johnny Manziel in the 2014 first round. The current Browns situation formed when became the first team since 1976 to trade three first-round picks for a veteran quarterback, and the contract they authorized — despite Watson being embroiled in off-field turmoil at the time — threatens to sink the roster Berry has built.

Watson ranks last in QBR among qualified passers this season, and his EPA per dropback is the worst of any Browns QB to start a season this century. Being sacked an NFL-high 26 times, Watson also sports the league’s third-worst rate of off-target throws (20.7%), Oyefusi adds. Watson, who averaged an NFL-high 8.9 yards per attempt in his final season as the Texans’ starter, is averaging a league-worst 4.8 per throw to start this season.

The Browns have a macro crisis on their hands, with their attempt to tailor Stefanski’s offense to their high-priced passer’s talents — via the Ken Dorsey OC hire — not working. Stefanski is not giving up play-calling duties at this time, and the question of whether he has the authority to bench Watson is now worth asking. The Cardinals and Titans also showed how quickly HC and GM extensions can turn into firings. Ownership pushed out the Steve Keim–Kliff Kingsbury tandem less than a year after extending both. Titans GM Jon Robinson was gone months after a 2022 re-up, and Mike Vrabel — despite a Coach of the Year honor — was out less than two years after his payday.

While this potentially puts Berry and Stefanski on notice, it is premature to suggest they are on hot seats. Though, this Watson catastrophe certainly could warrant a major firing.

The team may well be waiting until it can move closer to full strength on offense before fully evaluating this setup. Wyatt Teller is on short-term IR, while Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills have shuttled in and out of the lineup. David Njoku has missed three games, and Nick Chubb is in the PUP-return window. It will be interesting to see if the Browns can show progress once some of these players return, but time is running out.

Thanks to Watson’s two restructures, he is on the Browns’ 2025 and ’26 cap sheets at $72.9MM. No player has ever counted more than $50MM on a team’s payroll, with Dallas’ 11th-hour Dak Prescott extension moving him south of that mark.

Watson having settled his most recent civil suit alleging sexual assault also lessens the chances the Browns could void future guarantees in the event of a second suspension. Absent that, it would cost Cleveland $172.7MM (spread over two years, in a post-June 1 scenario) to cut Watson in 2025. For better or worse, the Browns are stuck here. Stefanski and Co. will continue to try making this foundation-shifting plan work.

Deshaun Watson’s Attorney Denies Latest Allegation; More On Browns QB’s Contract

September 11th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two years after the Browns made the controversial decision to trade for Deshaun Watson, they have seen the move backfire. Watson has struggled to find his Texans form and battled injuries since coming to Cleveland. That tenure began with the 11-game suspension incurred from the slew of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct civil lawsuits that emerged in 2021 and ’22. Two years later, the Browns are still dealing with Watson’s past.

In a civil suit filed in Houston, a woman accused Watson of sexual assaulting her in October 2020. Twenty-six women made similar allegations in civil filings from 2021-22, leading Watson out of Houston. The previous 26 alleged this activity took place during massage appointments. That separates the 2020 incident, which allegedly took place in the woman’s home.

The Browns were certainly not the only team prepared to look past the initial wave of suits and acquire the former star via trade, but being the winner of those March 2022 sweepstakes has significantly affected the franchise. Despite Dak Prescott‘s recent extension including $231MM guaranteed, no team has come close to the Browns’ $230MM fully guaranteed contract.

Still representing the eighth-year quarterback, attorney Rusty Hardin said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) Watson “strongly denies” the allegations in this latest suit — filed anonymously. The NFL is looking into the matter but has no plans to place the embattled passer on the commissioner’s exempt list, ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi tweets.

Responding to Hardin, the accuser’s attorney — Tony Buzbee, who played a lead role in the previous batch of accusers’ suits — said (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) he and his client attempted a private resolution for nearly a year. No settlement occurred. Responding to a question about this timetable, Watson said (via the Lorain Morning Journal’s Jeff Schudel) he had “no idea.” Watson settled suits with 23 of his initial 24 accusers.

Buzbee calls this matter “the most serious and egregious case brought against Watson to date” and indicates Watson’s lawyers did not cooperate. Hence, the filing and more off-field headlines for a player who now has major on-field issues.

Coming back from shoulder surgery, Watson did not play in the preseason. The 28-year-old passer also faced the Cowboys with a similar setup — down Nick Chubb and tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin. The latter two are on their way back, while Chubb remains on the reserve/PUP list. But Watson has shown little indication he will submit a turnaround effort in Cleveland. That threatens to derail an otherwise well-built Browns roster, which fared better with Joe Flacco at the controls last season. Flacco was surprised the Browns did not make an effort to re-sign him, after the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year expressed continued interest in staying. Instead, Jameis Winston is Cleveland’s QB2.

The Browns famously guaranteed Watson’s entire five-year contract. Criticism came the team’s way for doing this, but had the Browns not done that, the Georgia native was poised to waive his no-trade clause for the Falcons. He had previously ruled out Cleveland, but Jimmy Haslam subsequently placed the credit (blame?) on GM Andrew Berry for the idea to offer the fully guaranteed deal to tip the scales. Following Flacco’s run to the playoffs, Haslam extended both Berry and Kevin Stefanski.

Watson said Wednesday ownership communicates support to him daily, but extreme concern about his 2024, ’25 and ’26 seasons bringing fully guaranteed $46MM base salaries has no doubt surfaced inside the Browns’ building. Whether the team can escape the guarantees would come down to Watson being suspended under the NFL’s personal conduct policy again.

Upon signing, Watson needed to inform the Browns of any events that might lead to a future suspension, per Yahoo’s Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein. Although the QB’s first Browns contract was finalized in 2022, SI.com’s Conor Orr indicates he needed only to have informed the team about this matter by March 2023, when the first restructure took place.

Even though this allegation comes from Watson’s time with the Texans, if he did not tell the Browns about it (and it leads to a suspension), it could open the door to guarantees being voided. Though, we are not there yet. Watson denying the incident took place further muddies the waters regarding informing the Browns, which would introduce a gray area in the event this civil matter progresses.

As it stands, Watson counts $19.1MM on Cleveland’s 2024 cap sheet. The Browns, however, moved that number this low due to going through with a second restructure in August. The second reworking inflated Watson’s 2025 and ’26 cap hits to $72.9MM, which would shatter an NFL record — especially now that Prescott is extended — for a single player.

The Browns cutting Watson in 2025 would bring, thanks to the two restructures, $172MM in dead money. Needless to say, Watson is not a realistic 2025 cut candidate — even in a world in which the Broncos just took on $83MM-plus in dead cap on the Russell Wilson contract. In 2026, the Browns moving on would cost more than $99MM in dead money, which would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 scenario.

The QB continuing on his current path and now dealing with another off-field matter obviously reflects poorly on the Browns’ fateful 2022 decision, which also included slashing Watson’s 2022 base salary to the veteran minimum to reduce the money he would lose in a suspension. Watson will continue to start for the Browns, who will hope he can assimilate in an offense designed to be more in line with his skillset — at least, that is the goal — under new OC Ken Dorsey. But the team now has another off-field matter overshadowing its third-year starter.

Browns Have Not Extended Paul DePodesta; Team Still Foresees Long-Term Relationship

August 4th, 2024 at 12:53pm CST by Rory Parks

Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta was hired by the team in 2016 after a lengthy run in Major Leage Baseball front offices. Though his hire was an unconventional one, DePodesta has clearly gained the favor of Cleveland ownership.

In 2021, we learned that DePodesta was given a five-year extension the prior season, a deal that ran through the 2024 campaign. At the time, his contract term matched those of head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, both of whom were hired in 2020.

Upon the announcement of the extension, owner Jimmy Haslam noted the logic of having his top power brokers on deals of the same length, saying, “it lines up with [Berry and Stefanski]. That makes all the sense, and we’re super excited about that. Paul’s going to be with us for a significant amount of time. Paul’s not the type, you don’t need to announce something on Paul’s behalf, but he’s going to be with us for a significant amount of time.”

The Browns have earned a playoff berth in two of the first four seasons of the Berry/Stefanski partnership, and despite the much-criticized acquisition and extension of quarterback Deshaun Watson, the club has a talented roster that has the makings of a championship contender. Berry and Stefanski were rewarded with new deals in June, though DePodesta — who also has a significant role in personnel matters and who recommended the current GM/HC pairing to Haslam — is still under contract for just one more year.

That does not mean, however, that the relationship will end at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Speaking at a recent training camp practice, Haslam said, “we’re working through the situation with Paul. It’s a little bit different because he lives in San Diego, but we’re comfortable Paul will remain with us in some very important fashion for the long term” (via Kelsey Russo of the team’s official website).

It therefore sounds like an extension for DePodesta is still in the cards, and it would not be surprising if his contract again matches the Stefanski and Berry deals in the near future.

Extra Points: Jefferson, Maye, International Pathway Program

September 14th, 2023 at 9:42pm CST by Ben Levine

An undrafted wideout is working his way back to the field following a tragic car crash earlier this year. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the 49ers worked out Louisiana receiver Michael Jefferson today.

Jefferson earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2022 after finishing with 51 receptions for 810 yards and seven touchdowns. Thanks to his performance, the receiver was projected to be a mid-round pick in the 2023 draft. However, Jefferson was injured in a car accident in April that killed another driver, and the player required multiple surgeries.

He was expected to resume his career in 2024, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier this month that Jefferson had been cleared by doctors to “fly, take physicals and join a team.”

It sounds like his first opportunity could come in San Francisco. The 49ers are currently stashing four receivers on their practice squad in Willie Snead, Chris Conley, Tay Martin, and Isaiah Winstead.

More notes from around the NFL…

Saints safety Marcus Maye got six months of probation stemming from a 2021 driving under the influence charge, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. Maye will have his drivers license suspended for six months as a result of the plea deal, and he was also given 50 hours of community service with the opportunity to buy them out. Maye allegedly crashed into another car while driving on the Florida Turnpike and was initially charged with driving under the influence, DUI/damage to property and person, and leaving the scene of the crash. The player also continues to deal with a civil suit from the driver of the other car who is seeking $30K due to injuries.
The NFL International Pathway Program has expanded in scope since it’s inception in 2016, with the 2023 iteration allowing teams from the AFC West and NFC North to allocate an extra roster spot to an international player. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the NFL will provide an international player exception to all 32 teams starting in 2024. There are currently 24 active players who participated in the International Pathway Program.
The NFL has established an ownership committee that will evaluate current ownership rules, potentially allowing “institutional capital” to invest in teams, per Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal. As Liz Clarke, Nicki Jhabvala and Mark Maske of the Washington Post write, this committee could open the door to private equity firms buying stakes in teams, following the ownership rules previously established by the NBA, MLB, and NHL. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports that the committee includes Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, and Broncos owner Greg Penner.

Browns Rumors: Hunt, Watson

May 22nd, 2022 at 8:28pm CST by Ely Allen

Browns running back Kareem Hunt is heading into a contract year for the 2022 NFL season, after only appearing in eight games last year. Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com spoke on the contract situation, reporting that it seems very up in the air for now.

Hunt entered the 2021 season as the back up to Nick Chubb, racking up 361 rushing yards, along with five touchdowns before suffering a calf injury that would land him on injured reserve. He appeared in two more games after returning from injured reserve, but sat for the last four games of the season.

Cabot posits that if negotiations can be dealt with before camp is underway, it would bode well for Cleveland’s chances to keep the Hunt-Chubb tandem together. If no deal is reached by the time the season starts, though, it would be much less likely that Hunt stays in the orange and brown.

Hunt showed in Kansas City that he can be a lead back, and, with Nick Chubb firmly planted above him on the depth chart, Hunt may be willing to let this year be an audition to other teams to show that he is healthy and ready to take over lead-back responsibilities once again.

Here are a few more rumors from Cleveland, these concerning newly acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson:

Cleveland turned a lot of heads when they gave up a package that included three first-round draft picks to acquire Watson and then gave him a fully-guaranteed contract for $230MM, despite the 22 civil lawsuits he faces for alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault. Mike Sando of The Athletic heard from several executives from around the NFL who thought the moved reeked of desperation. Many thought the deal showed team owner Jimmy Haslam putting head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry in a bind, forcing a move the two likely wouldn’t otherwise have made. They claim the move gives Watson undue power to force decisions and do whatever he wants, saying he “doesn’t need to listen to anybody.” One executive said that rewarding Watson with the fully-guaranteed contract basically was a statement that all of his publicized issues don’t matter.
Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic enlisted the help of Jason Fitzgerald, operator of OverTheCap.com, to talk about some of the deals made around the NFL this offseason. Fitzgerald addressed the opinion that Watson’s legal situation being ignored in the awarding of his fully-guaranteed contract will set a new precedent for guaranteed contacts around the league. “I don’t think it will,” Fitzgerald said. He continued, “I know I’m in the minority on that…He was basically a free agent. The Texans said, ‘Go out and sell yourself to these teams.’ And that was what he did…Deshaun Watson was essentially a free agent. I don’t think there’s any other quarterbacks that ever make it to free agency to where they’re even gonna have that opportunity.” He compared the situation to Kirk Cousins, when he signed his first fully-guaranteed deal, ignoring the obvious publicity issues that come with Watson’s situation. He even mentioned earlier in the article that he saw Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson pursuing a situation that will play out similar to Cousins’. So it’s strange that a couple teams later in the article, he would claim that the precedent doesn’t matter because he thinks it likely won’t happen again. Regardless, Fitzgerald seemed to acknowledge that a precedent may have been set, but minimized the importance of that precedent on the assumption that similar situations would be few and far between.

Deshaun Watson Could Be Suspended For Only Four Games; “No Market” For Baker Mayfield

April 3rd, 2022 at 10:36am CST by Rory Parks

We recently heard that new Browns QB Deshaun Watson would not end up on the Commissioner’s Exempt list since he will not be criminally charged in connection with the sexual assault allegations for which he is still facing 22 civil suits. And, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes, the absence of criminal charges may also help Watson avoid a lengthy suspension.

Per Cabot, league investigators will view the grand jury non-indictments as “mitigating factors” when it comes to doling out punishment to the embattled passer. A suspension may not be put in place until the civil matter is resolved — and Cleveland will not pressure Watson to settle the suits — but when the NFL’s investigation concludes and a decision is made, Cabot hears that Watson could be hit with a six-game ban that gets reduced to four games.

That would obviously count as a huge victory for the Browns, who gave up a bounty of draft capital and a market-altering contract to acquire Watson in a move that many pundits have classified as desperate. Winning, though, has a way of rewriting history, and if Watson escapes all of his legal troubles with only a four-game suspension (at least as far as on-field ramifications are concerned), Cleveland will have a very good chance of winning in 2022 and beyond.

Of course, the Browns are still rostering Baker Mayfield, an awkward reality that would become even more awkward if they are forced to retain him throughout the 2022 season. GM Andrew Berry recently said he would be willing to do so, but that surely is just a bit of posturing. Berry obviously wants to trade the former No. 1 overall pick, and he is content to wait until a starting quarterback on another club suffers an injury and creates a QB need for that club. According to Cabot, Berry may need to do just that, because there is “no market” for Mayfield at this point.

Still, Cabot says Berry does not want to give Mayfield away or include one of his own draft picks in a trade to entice another team to assume Mayfield’s contract. She writes that the plan remains to have newly-signed QB Jacoby Brissett, and not Mayfield, operate as the starting signal-caller in the event of a Watson suspension. The one-year deal that Brissett signed with the Browns last month has a base value of $4.65MM, almost all of which ($4.5MM) is guaranteed, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets. Brissett will have a chance to earn more via incentives, including, perhaps, play-time incentives that could be realized if/when Brissett stands in for Watson.

One more item on Mayfield: his disenchantment with the Browns was intensified in the wake of a report that surfaced prior to the Watson trade indicating that the team was looking for “an adult” at the quarterback position (thus implying that Mayfield is not, in fact, an adult). Per team owner Jimmy Haslam, that comment did not come from the Cleveland front office (Twitter link via Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald).

AFC Notes: Browns, Titans, Texans

January 28th, 2020 at 9:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Once thought to be the Browns‘ top choice for their latest GM vacancy, George Paton backed out of the race. However, a deal may not have been imminent. The Browns had yet to make Paton an offer, according to Albert Breer of SI.com. Paton’s reasons for backing out of the Cleveland search are not totally clear, but Breer confirms an issue with Jimmy Haslam‘s organizational hierarchy was one of them. Most of the Browns’ GM candidates had an issue with Haslam’s setup — in which the GM, Kevin Stefanski and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta report directly to the owner — and Paton was not an exception, Breer adds. With the Browns since bringing Andrew Berry back to Cleveland as the NFL’s youngest GM (at 32), Haslam has now worked with six GMs or front office heads since buying the team in 2012. While Breer notes Paton was seriously considering taking the job after the first interview went well, the frequently hesitant Vikings exec will stay in his assistant GM post in Minnesota.

Here is the latest from the AFC:

Although the Browns are set up on an analytics front, their scouting experience in the front office is less certain. John Dorsey hired both assistant GM Eliot Wolf and VP of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith, but each longtime exec worked with Berry when he was still with the team in 2018. Highsmith’s contract runs through the 2021 draft, and Wolf’s goes through the ’22 draft, Breer adds.
An intra-AFC South coaching move occurred Tuesday. The Titans poached Texans defensive backs coach Anthony Midget, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Midget, who’d been with Houston throughout Bill O’Brien‘s six-season tenure, received the head coach-GM’s permission to interview with Tennessee, per Paul Kuharsky of Paul Kuharsky.com (Twitter link). He will hold the same job with the Titans next season, replacing Kerry Coombs.
The Texans will replace Midget in-house, promoting assistant secondary coach D’Anton Lynn to the top DBs role, Wilson adds. Lynn, 30, is the son of Chargers HC Anthony Lynn and has been with the Texans since 2018.
Texans backup center Greg Mancz underwent ankle surgery, according to Wilson. A five-year veteran and 28-game starter in his time with the Texans, Mancz underwent an arthroscopic procedure and is expected to be ready for Texans OTAs. The former UDFA originally injured the ankle during the preseason.

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