The Browns have work to do this offseason.
Cleveland finds itself among the most cap-strapped teams in the NFL, needing to shed salaries before the 2025 campaign.
That’s not to mention Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has requested a trade, putting Cleveland in an untenable situation with one of their defensive cornerstones.
NFL insider Mike Florio believes the entire situation comes down to one massive mistake the Browns made several years ago.
Florio called out Browns owner Jimmy Haslam for this issue, suggesting that he should admit his front office’s decision to trade for Deshaun Watson and sign him to a massive, fully guaranteed contract was a mistake.
“I think it all traces to the stubbornness and the ego of the owner who refuses to admit they made a mistake. That’s the big impediment to effecting this trade idea. You have to be willing to admit that Deshaun Watson was a mistake. What you gave up to get him was a mistake, that the contract was a mistake,” Florio said.
Multiple analysts have suggested Haslam was behind the team’s decision to trade for Watson in 2022 despite the player missing the entire 2021 season due to off-the-field issues.
Florio indicated that Cleveland could bundle a Myles Garrett trade offer with Watson, attempting to move both players and rebuild the Browns’ roster.
The insider recalled a similar deal that the Rams made as the team traded Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford, and Los Angeles offered multiple draft picks to entice the Lions into making the trade.
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