Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admits team made a mistake trading for Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns tried making Deshaun Watson work, even after it was very clear that the team had made a franchise-changing error in trading for him.

Watson was terrible for the Browns, on the field and off the field. He suffered season-ending injuries, but between that he simply did not play well. His Browns career started with an 11-game suspension after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, which brought shame to the organization. But the Browns kept starting him, even last season when it was clear he was perhaps the worst starter in the NFL. That sometimes happens when you invest too much in a player and feel the need to see a return on investment.

Finally, the Browns seem to be admitting defeat. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam met with the media at the league’s annual spring meetings and said the Watson trade was a mistake.

Haslam called the Watson trade “a big swing and a miss” and said the franchise is still recovering, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

“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. [It] was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee [Haslam, Jimmy’s wife and Browns co-owner] and I, so hold us accountable.”

What Haslam said Monday wasn’t anything new to most people. People saw years ago that Watson was not going to pay off and wondered why the team wouldn’t bench him. Everyone knew the owners had to take accountability for a trade that not only led to some lost seasons but also damaged the team’s brand off the field. But the Browns have acted through the years like Watson being benched was never an option. Only an Achilles injury last season forced Cleveland’s hand.

Dee Haslam said she attributed the miss on Watson to some major injuries the past two seasons, including the Achilles, via Cabot. In 2023, Watson’s season ended with a shoulder injury.

The hole the Browns face is real. They have the second pick of the NFL Draft but haven’t committed to taking a quarterback. Jimmy Haslam said Monday the team wouldn’t force it if they don’t believe in a quarterback available at No. 2, saying it could take a year or two to figure out the quarterback plan. The Browns did sign Kenny Pickett, and he would be an option to start. Watson remains on the Browns — the five-year, $230 million contract Watson signed upon the trade, which has since been restructured, makes him tough to dump off the roster — but his availability for 2025 was already in question after he suffered a second tear of his Achilles in January. And it seems the team is in the process of moving on from Watson anyway.

The Browns thought they were getting a franchise quarterback when they made the controversial trade for Watson. Instead, all they did was waste a lot of money and draft picks. At least they’re finally to the point of admitting a mistake was made.