Deshaun Watson has decided he wants to play for the Cleveland Browns in a stunning change of events, per sources. Watson has informed the Houston Texans that he now is willing to waive the no-trade clause in his contract to be dealt to Cleveland.
And I feel bad for the Browns fans, because they didn't ask for any of this, they didn't make the trade for Watson, but my hatred for the CLE ownership/organization just looms large over that little bit of compassion. Suck it, Haslam, and whoever else was in on the decision to try and ruin Baker. Reap it 10000x over. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla:
Wilson to donx was insanely bad. The picks, players, and contract were all brutal for a fat old guy who was clearly declining.
The big difference is that Denver took the out. Unethically. But they decided to just take it on the chin just to get him out. What Cleveland is doing with deshaun with all the backloading is going to blow up even worse than what Snyder did in Washington trying to buy super bowls. It almost feels like they're going to fall into an unprecedented cap hole.
Unlike Denver they went all in and then tripled down on it. Which I kinda get because once Chubb and Garrett are gone the whole thing implodes. But man they're going to be in hell for a very long time. Rebuilding is one thing, rebuilding with massive cap debt you can't get rid of is something entirely different [Reply]
And I feel bad for the Browns fans, because they didn't ask for any of this, they didn't make the trade for Watson, but my hatred for the CLE ownership/organization just looms large over that little bit of compassion. Suck it, Haslam, and whoever else was in on the decision to try and ruin Baker. Reap it 10000x over.
I mean, the fans really did ask for this. They wanted Mayfield GONE. The were loud and proud in that declaration. They also wanted a "franchise QB" immediately because they felt the rest of the roster was ready to compete for a title. They were also THRILLED with Watson AND the trade that got him there, although maybe not the contract.
Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla:
I mean, the fans really did ask for this. They wanted Mayfield GONE. The were loud and proud in that declaration. They also wanted a "franchise QB" immediately because they felt the rest of the roster was ready to compete for a title. They were also THRILLED with Watson AND the trade that got him there, although maybe not the contract.
It's not like Browns Fan hid any of this.
Well, and I get that a lot of Browns fans were done with Baker and a lot of them thought Watson was elite, but not all of them, and I think it wasn't as overwhelming as it seemed from the outside.
I know a few CLE fans, and none of them wanted Baker gone. They wanted him to sit and get surgery. They wanted him to stop saying dumb things to the press. But they also wanted him back, just healthy.
All just semantics now, of course, just saying I'm only really annoyed with CLE ownership/management. Ymmv [Reply]
Originally Posted by Sassy Squatch:
Is there a worse overall transaction in sports history?
I posted earlier today that I think it is. He is soooooooo bad.
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
The irony is he got thrown under the bus for having an off year while playing through a shoulder injury. Baker is not a rock star but the browns are probably competitive enough with a game manager which baker can do.
Correct. Baker can be a cunt. And he's not Mahomes. But that doesn't mean he's devoid of value. In limited resource environments it is important to maximize the production per unit salary cap. Giving it all to Watson ain't it.
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
I love that.
The Browns and their fans did Baker so dirty for having the audacity to try to play through injury. Apart from that one year, his development arc looked like a normal young QB.
And the Browns just shit all over him then dumped him while gutting their cap and picks for the privilege of doing so.
They deserve this.
True enough. I'm no Baker fanboy but he's better than he gets credit for. He's not Mahomes, but you can win with him as well as Hurts, et al.
Originally Posted by louie aguiar:
Browns are so screwed
For the "just cut Deshaun now" crowd: 2024 Dead Cap: $119,942,678 ($93.2M cash) 2025 Dead Cap: $80,770,000
For the "cut Deshaun after 2024" crowd: 2025 Dead Cap: $118,935,000 ($92M cash) 2026 Dead Cap: $53,835,000
For the "cut Deshaun after 2025" crowd: 2026 Dead Cap:…
The current Baker at his current salary is a bargain.
And maybe Baker was more injured than I remembered.
But he had a great D. He had Chubb and Karem. I guess I don’t really remember thinking his WR were particularly good or bad but if that wasn’t good enough for a game manager. Where do you go from there? [Reply]
