LATEST NEWS: Browns Should Think About Bringing Andrew Berry Out Following Watson Scandal and Mayfield’s Triumph
Over the last two seasons, the
Browns have improved significantly, but not because of quarterback Deshaun Watson, but rather in spite of him.
Although the Browns have improved over the last two seasons to become an 11-win playoff club, general manager Andrew Berry’s trade of Watson to the Houston Texans currently seems to be by far the worst in team history.
In light of Watson’s $230 million fully guaranteed contract and the fact that the quarterback has only started 12 games in two seasons, Cleveland should at the very least think about cutting ties with Berry in light of the poor managerial decisions made during the Watson trade. This is especially important as the team approaches the 2024 offseason.
The success of quarterback Baker Mayfield with the Tampa Buccaneers in 2023—a team that finished first in its division and narrowly missed a trip to the NFC Championship Game after falling short by one score to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, January 21—supports the idea that the decisions Berry made collectively to acquire Watson equate to a fireable offence.
Deshaun Watson’s Disappointment Has Increased Since Joining the Browns
The Browns were a solid team all season, though most of their success came on the back of the defense, which was elite at home, but often somewhere between gettable and legitimately suspect against quality opponents on the road. The aforementioned Texans beat down the Browns over Super Wild Card Weekend in Houston, outscoring the franchise they fleeced into taking Watson by a score of 45-14.
Watson didn’t play in that game. Instead, he watched from the sideline due to a season-ending shoulder surgery he underwent in November. Watson started only six games for the Browns this season, and while he went 5-1 as the starter, his numbers were mediocre at best while Cleveland’s offense fell far short of overwhelming. The QB completed just 61.4% of his passes for 1,115 yards, 7 TDs and 4 INTs, per Pro Football Reference.
Watson started just six games in 2022, his first year with the Browns, due to an 11-game NFL suspension following more than two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct — off-field issues that Berry and the rest of Cleveland’s front office largely ignored or tried to sidestep during and after their acquisition of the polarizing quarterback.
While Watson had been a three-time consecutive Pro Bowler in Houston between 2018-20, Berry and company also ignored the fact that the Texans sidelined the QB for the entirety of the 2021 campaign (with pay) after he demanded a trade and then the accusations began piling up.
Watson is going to cost $64 million against the Browns’ salary cap sheet in each of the next three seasons and carries an average annual cost of $46 million across the five-year contract, running from 2022 through the 2026 campaign.
Baker Mayfield’s Cost Has Been, and Will Be, Exponentially Lower than Deshaun Watson’s
In 2023, Mayfield completed 64.3% of his passes. Along the route to a 9-8 record and the NFC South Division Championship, he accumulated 4,044 passing yards and threw for 28 touchdowns—both career highs—while only throwing 10 interceptions.
The Bucs then overcame the Philadelphia Eagles, the reigning NFC champions, by a score of 32-9 thanks to 337 yards and three touchdowns. In an 8-point defeat on Sunday, the quarterback bravely battled in Detroit, passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns. On the last drive of the game, Mayfield did make his second pick of the match, a game-winning interception to the Lions defence.
Even still, over the last two seasons, Mayfield has outperformed Watson as an NFL quarterback in terms of leadership, health, and productivity, and the difference isn’t even close. In addition, Mayfield has received $9 million in guaranteed compensation from rival teams in the last two years, while Watson has embezzled $92 million from the Browns and still owes them a another $138 million.
There may not be a reason for Cleveland to fire its general manager if such is the case.
For Heavy.com, Max Dible covers the Golden State Warriors, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Cleveland Browns. Before joining Heavy, he worked as the news director for Pacific Media Group’s chain of Big Island radio stations as well as a reporter for West Hawaii Today, covering both local and state news. He also worked as the news director for BigIslandNow.com. Additional information on Max Dible
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