It’s no secret that the Deshaun Watson trade hasn’t worked out well for the Cleveland Browns, and he will now hold a $72.9 million cap hit for the 2025 season after tearing his Achilles a second time, likely keeping him out for the year.
His injuries, underperformance, and bloated contract have heavily clouded the future of the entire franchise, but owner Jimmy Haslam finally spoke up about the Watson situation and said what everyone is thinking to hopefully provide fans with a bit of clarity.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi shared Haslam’s recent comments about Watson on X, and he called the Watson trade a “big swing and miss.”
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. … (the trade) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable,” said Browns owner Jimmy Haslam on the team’s trade for Deshaun Watson.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam on the team’s trade for Deshaun Watson: “We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. … (the trade) was an entire…
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) March 31, 2025
This is the right thing to say, and it’s admirable that he is urging everyone to blame him and his fellow decision-makers for this mistake.
This is a nice endorsement for head coach Kevin Stefanski, who has been put in a difficult situation.
He also acknowledged that the team is certainly in a hole, but even though they gave up a ton of picks and money to get Watson, the light at the end of the tunnel is close.
Cleveland has ten picks in the upcoming draft, including the No. 2 overall pick if the Browns decide Shedeur Sanders could be the next franchise quarterback.
There is plenty of ammo to rebuild both sides of the ball now, and after this season, there is finally a way out of Watson’s huge contract.
Haslam’s comments make it quite clear that Watson is probably never seeing the field for the Browns again, which helps everyone move on and look toward the future.
NEXT: Insider Reveals What He's Hearing About Browns' Interest In Travis Hunter
