Browns Are Pressed to Trade for a $26 Million Quarterback Instead of Watson
Deshaun Watson will still be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2024, but if his problems persist, there will be other quarterbacks vying for his spot.
On February 27, ESPN Analytics’ Seth Walder attempted to pick every NFL team’s opening day starter out of the 32. Predictive analysis wasn’t needed in order to select Watson as the Browns’ starting quarterback at the start of the season; head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Watson’s starting position almost immediately following Cleveland’s postseason run’s conclusion. Walder added a disclaimer, reiterating his assessment from earlier in the month that the Browns ought to try to get Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields through trade, and maybe they will.
Watson is in the third year of a $230 million contract that is fully guaranteed, thus he will most likely start at quarterback for the Browns. But would I really risk wasting this roster once more by running Watson back if I were Cleveland?
The issue is that, with Watson’s cap number and the loss of their first-round pick to Houston in exchange for Watson, the Browns’ options are severely restricted. Considering that the Browns are a long shot to land Justin Fields and won’t require a first-round pick, I could at least see them as a viable option. Who knows, maybe Kevin Stefanski, the coach, could bring forth his best side.
Justin Fields Provides Browns with a Viable Target at a Reasonable Cost
Fields wouldn’t be terribly expensive, but he also wouldn’t be a cheap choice for the Browns as Watson’s backup or replacement.
The 24-year-old will have a cap hit of almost $6 million in 2024 as he plays the last year of his $18.9 million rookie contract. Fields, a previous first-round selection (number 11 overall in 2021), is attached to a five-year team option that the Bears, or any team that acquires him this spring, can exercise. That season (2025) will set you back $25.7 million.
Fields’ market worth is projected by Spotrac to be $283 million over the course of a new six-year contract; however, that amount won’t decrease for another two seasons. Fields would cost Cleveland over half of Watson’s 2024 contract alone in the next two seasons because Watson has a $64 million cap charge in each of the following three seasons.
In 2024, Joe Flacco might not be the Browns’ best option to backup Deshaun Watson.
Naturally, given the amount of money the Browns are currently paying on their main quarterback, it is still a significant investment at the position. But since joining Cleveland, Watson has only started 12 of a possible 34 regular-season games, ranking him among the NFL’s least likely starters to be on the field regularly in 2024.
Due to a suspension for breaking the player code of conduct, Watson was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Browns started Jacoby Brissett 11 times in 2022. In 2023, Cleveland’s starting quarterbacks were four other quarterbacks. Watson’s season was cut short by shoulder surgery in November after he alternated between the starting lineup and injuries.
Joe Flacco was by far the most successful of those four players, starting four games and compiling an impressive average of over 300 yards passing per game. Flacco has stated that he plans to play two more seasons, so it is far from a given that he would rejoin the Browns for the upcoming campaign. Instead, he will likely look for a place where he can at least start Week 1.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the New England Patriots may be considering Flacco as a bridge quarterback should they select a rookie with the third overall choice. Flacco may also attract interest from other teams in the upcoming days, weeks, and months.
Fields makes sense for a Browns team that has spent a lot of money building a win-now roster, considering all the variables and the likelihood that he will only cost a second-round selection to acquire.
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