CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – You’d think Deshaun Watson was the LeBron James of the NFL the way the last three days have played out.
Fans tracing flights, endless reports, speculation, debate.
But here we are in Cleveland awaiting another decision.
Tuesday afternoon the Browns flew to Houston and made their pitch in a bid to replace Baker Mayfield, who clearly is preparing himself for his own exit based on his social media “thank you “ to Cleveland Tuesday night after team brass took off from Texas to head home.
The Atlanta Falcons closed out Watson’s three days of meetings and the perception of who he will choose changes by the hour.
Monday the Panthers and Saints met with Watson, who has a no-trade clause in the four-year, $156 million contract extension he signed, and made their case.
From a roster standpoint, the Browns have the advantage and the Falcons with the most work to do. Comfort wise, his hometown Falcons are the lead dog and Cleveland is likely bringing up the rear. New Orleans may give him the easiest path to the playoffs and Super Bowl in the next few years – once Tom Brady sticks to retirement.
With the AFC stacking up to be a gauntlet to the Lamar Hunt trophy, Watson may feel moving to the NFC would simply be more beneficial to him.
The Texans have trade offers from all four teams and now it’s up to Watson to pick one.
Pro Football Talk reported Wednesday evening after the Falcons meeting broke up that Watson “was incredibly torn” and there is no timetable for a decision to be made by the troubled quarterback facing accusations from 22 women of unwanted sexual misconduct during therapeutic massages.
A grand jury decided not to indict Watson last Friday following eight criminal complaints that were filed but Watson is also preparing to defend himself in civil court where he is being sued.
Like the other three teams, the Browns are completely comfortable with giving up multiple first round picks and potentially more for Watson despite the fact Watson could face a suspension from the NFL office for violating conduct policies.
With the arms race in the AFC heating up thanks to Russell Wilson’s relocation to Denver along with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert to contend with to get to a Super bowl, the Browns feel Watson is their best hope to help them keep up and compete.
Should Watson not choose the Browns, the options for a significant upgrade from Mayfield appear to be slim pickings and they’ll need to talk themselves into believing he wasn’t t their only hope.
Right now, the perception is that it is Watson or bust for the Browns.
Considering the fragility of competitive windows in the NFL, time is not on the Browns side as they look to avoid a return to what life was like before Mayfield arrived and the never-ending spinning quarterback carousel, annual hopelessness among fans and ineptitude on the field.
Berry cleared over $32 million in cap space off the books by releasing Jarvis Landry, JC Tretter and Austin Hooper, a clear indication he’s made room for an expensive splash – beyond the acquisition of four-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper officially Wednesday from Dallas – and likely a quarterback.
Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be moved by the 49ers with their commitment to Trey Lance, whom they moved up to pick third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He could be Plan B.
Would Arizona trade Kyler Murray?
The Browns would be better off sticking with Mayfield rather than dipping into the free agency pool of potential starting quarterbacks, but the bridge may have been torched and we’ve reached the point of no return.
For now, we wait.
As Tom Petty sang, the waiting is the hardest part.
