CLEVELAND, OH — Guess that the whole Deshaun Watson to Cleveland was more than just a thing, huh? In a stunning reversal, Watson waived his no-trade clause and agreed to a blockbuster deal to come to Cleveland.
Watson, recently cleared of 22 sexual assault charges, agreed to a 5-year $230 million deal, with $45 million guaranteed, the largest guaranteed deal in NFL history, all but signaling the end of the Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland.
The blockbuster deal, that has sent massive shockwaves through the entire NFL landscape, sends Watson and a fourth-round pick to Cleveland for the Browns’ first round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, a 2023 third round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2024.
With the likelihood of Watson facing a possible 6-8 suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, one has to ask, is Watson worth the gamble? Combine that with media, fan and social media backlash, the Browns went from being one of the most beloved and storied franchises to a proverbial lightning rod in signing Watson.
For a franchise that has struggled to remain and maintain any form of relevancy since the days of Bernie Kosar, the way and manner in how the front office treated soon-to-be former franchise QB, Baker Mayfield will not sit well with die-hards.
Why? Because Mayfield GOT Cleveland. And Cleveland GOT Mayfield.
A short, plucky, undersized QB who was considered too short and not a five-star recruit out of Lake Travis, just outside of Austin, Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech before transferring over Oklahoma, winning the Heisman and being drafted No.1 overall by the Browns.
Like Mayfield, the city of Cleveland, once know as “The Mistake on the Lake” and the pun of jokes due to the Cuyahoga catching on fire, has truly emerged into a global destination of events ranging from the 2016 GOP Convention to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, the 2021 NFL Draft and most recently the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.
Not to take anything away from Watson, but if he hopes that fans will come to embrace him as a member of the Dawg Pound, he will have to win both on the field as well as off of it.
Not gonna lie, but 22 sexual charges, as well as the possibility for future civil suits is not going to sit well for a fan base that is among the most vocal—and also has one of the highest amount of female fans—in the NFL.
It’s a sad and biting irony the one of the co-owners in Dee Haslam, signed off in this deal, and may now be seen as somewhat of a Bernadette Arnold to many female Browns fans.
It is going to take more than winning—even a deep playoff run, or Super Bowl—may not be enough for fans to get over this.
If early reaction on social media is any indication of the proverbial temperature of the Watson deal, the former Clemson Tiger standout better bundle up for some chilly days on the lakefront.
A true under