Browns' trade for Deshaun Watson was 'big swing and miss,' team owner says

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The Cleveland Browns took a big leap of faith when they traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a five-year deal reportedly worth up to $230 million, all of which was guaranteed.

Watson’s performance on the field has been one to forget. He has gone from a three-time Pro Bowler who was a force to be reckoned with on the field to an oft-injured quarterback who has rarely seen the field. 

That is all without the baggage of more than two dozen sexual misconduct allegations that came with him from Houston to Cleveland.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, #4, poses for a portrait with general manager Andrew Berry, left, and coach Kevin Stefanski during Watson's introductory news conference on March 26, 2022, at the Browns training facility in Berea. (Jeff Lange/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

On Monday, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam admitted the Watson trade was a mistake.

"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," he told reporters from the annual league meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. "Listen, I’ve said this I think numerous times, Deshaun Watson was an entire organization decision, and it ends with (co-owner) Dee (Haslam) and I, so hold us accountable."

Watson was suspended to begin his tenure in Cleveland and only appeared in six games in 2022. The following season, six games again. He then only played seven games in 2024 after he suffered a ruptured Achilles during a home game.

The 29-year-old quarterback