Haslam spoke candidly to reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting and took accountability for what has turned out to be a disastrous trade that landed them quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (The trade) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable,” Haslam told reporters on Monday at the NFL’s league meeting, per Cleveland.com.
There’s no denying that the Watson experience in Cleveland has been a ‘swing and miss.’
The Browns decided to trade three first-round picks, a third-round pick and two fourth-round picks to the Houston Texans for Watson, and subsequently gave him the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Watson’s played in only 19 games with the Browns since the NFL reinstated the quarterback in November 2022. He’s averaged a 61.2 completion percentage, slightly over 177 passing yards per game and an 80.7 passer rating during his three seasons in Cleveland, all well below his averages in four years with the Houston Texans.
Watson tore his Achilles in Week 7 of last season. He then re-tore the ligament while rehabbing, likely sidelining him throughout the 2025 season.
Haslam’s public comments probably won’t sit well with Watson as he’s still on the roster. However, the owner’s words create some uncertainty surrounding Watson’s future in Northeast Ohio.
The Browns acquired quarterback Kenny Pickett in exchange for Dorian Thompson-Robinson this offseason. They also flirted with veteran Russell Wilson before he signed with the New York Giants.
Pickett, who is familiar with the AFC North from his days as a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, is the only healthy QB on Cleveland’s roster. The Browns could also draft a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
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