The Cleveland Browns’ decision to trade for Deshaun Watson was controversial and criticized at the time.
Fast forward to today, and it might go down as the single worst transaction in professional sports history.
Not only did they give up a plethora of draft picks to get a player who hadn’t played in a very long time, but he also faced some serious accusations against him.
If none of that was enough, they quickly signed him to a five-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $230 million.
Watson has barely been able to play because of suspension or injuries.
When he’s played, he hasn’t been that good, either.
To put it in context, Cody Suek reported that the Browns have paid Watson $137,367,500 in cash from 2022 to 2024.
He’s thrown just 19 touchdown passes during that span, so he’s made $7,229,868 per passing touchdown.
The Cleveland Browns paid Watson $137,367,500 in cash from 2022 thru 2024, or $7,229,868 per passing touchdown.
— Cody Suek (@CodySuek) January 10, 2025
Some accuse the Browns of blowing the quarterback market out of proportion with that deal.
The saddest part about that is that Watson has gone 9-10 as their starter, which may have cost them a trip to the playoffs this season.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield is thriving with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading them to the playoffs twice in as many seasons.
It was tough to envision this trade aging so poorly for this organization, and he’s still under contract for the next two years.
