Two years ago, the Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and then signed the quarterback to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal.
Well, the early returns on the move are not looking too good for the Browns.
Watson has made just 12 starts in his first two seasons in Cleveland, as he served an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct allegations in 2022 and was then limited to just six contests this past year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
As a result, some are wondering if Watson is indeed the Browns’ signal-caller of the future, and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum actually thinks Cleveland should send Watson packing.
But where?
Tannenbaum thinks he sees a potential fit: the New York Giants.
“I’m trading Deshaun Watson and a second-round pick to the New York Giants for Daniel Jones,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday.
That is certainly a bold suggestion.
Tannenbaum qualified his statement by saying the Browns could re-sign Joe Flacco as insurance while also having Jones and Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the roster. He adds that Jones only has one more guaranteed year left on his deal, so Cleveland would have a ton of flexibility moving forward.
On the Giants’ side of the equation, Tannenbaum says that the second-round pick would sweeten the pot and make New York absorbing Watson’s contract more palatable. He also says that Watson could be the difference-making quarterback that the team needs.
During his Houston Texans days, Watson was undeniably one of the best quarterbacks in football, but that was all the way back in 2020. Times have changed since then, and it remains to be seen if the 29-year-old can rediscover his old form.
While Tannenbaum’s suggestion is interesting, the most likely scenario is that Deshaun Watson stays put for at least another year.
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