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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Faced with a second chance to acquire Deshaun Watson this offseason now that he wants the Texans to trade him, the Browns are likely to pass on Michael Jordan again.
Of course, the first time they passed him was in the 2017 draft, when they were on the clock at No.12 and traded at No.25 with the Texans, winning a first round. of 2018 in the process.
It was just a few months after cleveland.com asked Clemson coach Dabo Swinney about the possibility of the Browns overtaking Watson at No. 1 overall, and he said it would be like passing Michael Jordan. .
The Texans, of course, jumped at the chance to draft him at No.12, and immediately began to reap the rewards. The Browns drafted safety Jabrill Peppers at No.25, then cornerback Denzel Ward with the No.4 overall pick in 2018, a selection that became much more valuable when Watson suffered an ACL tear. in his sixth start of the 2017 season after a 3-3 mark and has missed the last nine games.
The Browns obviously didn’t rank Watson well enough in their draft group, but that was around the time that Browns chief soccer operations manager Sashi Brown and coach Hue Jackson were at odds on everything, and it was impossible to come to a consensus on a quarterback.
Watson, 25, is yet to reach the level of Michael Jordan, but he has been amazing in his first four seasons, competing in the Pro Bowl three times and leading his team to the playoffs on two occasions, including in the divisional round last year. , where they lost against the Chiefs.
This season, despite the Texans trading his No.1 receiver to DeAndre Hopkins, Watson led the NFL with 4,823 passing yards and was second in the league with a rating of 112.4. He threw 33 touchdowns against just seven interceptions and was third in the league with a 70.2 completion percentage.
The Browns took a huge break against Watson in Week 10 at FirstEnergy Stadium, when Mother Nature threw some fierce wins to help the Browns beat him 10-7. Watson was limited to 163 passing yards – his lowest yield of the season and only one in the 100 – and a TD. He’s also scored one of only four times this season he had odds under 100.
Additionally, he became the first quarterback to lead the NFL in passing with at least 12 losses since Jeff George made it with the Raiders in 1997. If the Texans, who fired coach / general manager Bill O’Brien on October 5, won this match. season, Watson would have been a legitimate MVP contender and likely an All-Pro. If they hadn’t traded Hopkins, they could have made the playoffs for a third straight season.
Instead, they hired longtime Patriots staff Nick Caserio as the new general manager, and Watson reportedly asked to be traded. In fact, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday that Watson wants to come out, regardless of the new head coach. The Texans have requested an interview with Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and have scheduled a second interview with Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Ravens assistant head coach / receivers coach David Culley. The Texans also interviewed Jim Caldwell and former Browns quarterback Josh McCown.
Watson would have been annoyed that the Texans did not immediately request an interview with Bieniemy, who continues to be forgotten despite his excellent references. If they hire him, they might be able to save their relationship with Watson.
Some in the NFL believe Caserio will do whatever it takes to keep Watson and all trade talks will be moot.
As for the Browns, Browns general manager Andrew Berry praised Baker Mayfield at his season-ending press conference and indicated he is the Browns’ QB of the future.
“He did a great job this year,” Berry said Wednesday. “It got us to our first playoff appearance in eons. We have achieved 12 wins, played winning football all year round, developed a very strong relationship with Kevin [Stefanski] and the attacking staff and really, like I mentioned last week, he really thrives every week on and off the pitch. We are very, very satisfied with him. We wouldn’t be where we were at the end of the season without his performance. He’s had a really great season.
Berry has refused to reveal his plans for Mayfield’s fifth-year option, which must be exercised by May 3, or his contract extensions, which can be done this offseason, but he’s not one to play his hand publicly. It’s the opposite of the Ravens, which GM Eric DeCosta said on Monday he would speak to Lamar Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP and a 2019 First Team All-Pro, in the next 10 days. approximately, and that an extension is possible. this offseason.
“… He definitely deserves a contract,” DeCosta said via the team’s website. “He has played phenomenal football for the past two years. Our intention, and my intention, is to keep him in Baltimore longer, many years. ”
Mayfield, who finished 15th in the NFL with a 95.9 rating, does not yet have a Jackson’s credentials, and the Browns could decide to delay his extension this summer and see if he makes another big jump. during the second year of Kevin Stefanski’s The Plan. But they speak like a team that is committed to him, not like a team looking to improve this offseason.
Additionally, an NFL personnel official told cleveland.com it would take the equivalent of four or five first-round picks to land Watson, which could mean at least two first-round picks, a player from foreground and a combination of other top choices.
Another staff executive said the asking price should be out of the ordinary because Watson is 25, is an All-Pro-caliber QB and has a reasonable contract, averaging $ 39 million a year.
Last offseason, he signed a four-year extension to 2025 worth $ 156 million, including a $ 27 million signing bonus and a $ 110.7 million guarantee at the level of the NFL. It has a cap of just $ 15.94 million in 2021, and $ 40.4 million and $ 42.4 million in 2022 and 2023.
His average of $ 39 million per year is the second in the NFL after Patrick Mahomes’ $ 45 million, but that will seem even more reasonable as the next wave of QB signs their extensions. Dak Prescott of Dallas, Josh Allen and Jackson of Buffalo could all receive around $ 40 million a year as of this offseason, and Mayfield’s market value is currently around $ 35 million a year, according to spotrac.com.
Watson is also a good deal for a new team as the Texans have already kicked him off the field with the $ 27 million signing bonus, a huge portion of the $ 110.7 million guaranteed.
According to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero, Watson has the No.1 Jets on his wishlist for new teams because of new head coach Robert Saleh, whom he wanted the Texans to interview, and the No.2 Dolphins. he ends up with either of those teams, he will go down on the long list of amazing AFC young quarterbacks that the Browns will face over the next decade as they try to make it to the Super. Bowl and win.
But an NFL decision maker said Caserio would be crazy to trade Watson because QBs of his caliber in their prime are so hard to find and he would do it all over again. With Watson, he said, the Texans would have a chance to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs. Instead, he believes the new GM will hire a coach Watson is happy with and then surround him with talent to immediately bring them back to conflict.
Meanwhile, the Browns are excited about Mayfield, who has gone 12-5 this year and led the Browns to the AFC divisional round, taking it to the next level in his second year on Stefanski’s schedule.
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