The Cleveland Browns are stuck in a terrible spot, salary cap-wise.
They enter the offseason roughly more than $30 million over the salary cap, and that’s not going to change for as long as Deshaun Watson is there.
Still, the financial ripple effect of releasing him isn’t much better, as they would still have to absorb a big dead cap hit.
Nonetheless, former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth believes it’s time to rip the band-aid off once and for all.
Talking on FOX Sports’ ‘Breakfast Ball,’ Schlereth urged the team to deal with the consequences of making one of the worst trades-signings in professional sports history:
“The Browns made the worst trade/signing in the history of football. You gotta just deal with the consequences of that.”
.@markschlereth is looking for the Cleveland Browns "rip that bandaid off" and realize the mistake they made in trading/signing Deshaun Watson
"The Browns made the worst trade/signing in the history of football. You gotta just deal with the consequences of that." pic.twitter.com/kJyOVJbWpn
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) February 20, 2025
Notably, Craig Carton agreed with him.
He talked about how the Denver Broncos chose to do that with Russell Wilson.
They bit the bullet, and it didn’t take long before they went back to the playoffs, so it’s not like there isn’t a blueprint for this.
The salary cap is expected to go up at least $20 more million, and moving on from Watson would certainly help.
It would also finally send the right message.
It would speak volumes about accountability and living up to the expectations.
Multiple reports have indicated that Browns players were frustrated with how the team managed Watson.
They reportedly felt the coaching staff rarely addressed his numerous mistakes.
It’s hard to blame the Browns for thinking that Watson would solve their issues at quarterback, but since that won’t be the case, why not get it over with?
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