Now that Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges over the allegations from 22 different women who have accused him of sexual assault and harassment, NFL teams are falling over one another to see if they can trade for the quarterback. Whatever that says about the state of the world, and the league, is certainly a discussion worth having. But in the meantime, we’re about to find out how important it is to be a really good football player and how much NFL teams are willing to give up to deal with your allegations and issues so long as you throw a lot of touchdowns.
The Cleveland Browns appear to be very interesting in the possibility, despite the fact that they have a veteran quarterback in Baker Mayfield and have publicly backed him as their signal-caller for next season. Still, given the contentious relationship the team already has with Mayfield, they might think it’s worth a shot to see if they can cut ties now and get a more dependable star on the field (even with everything he brings with him off it).
Mary Kay Cabot is the reporter on a Cleveland.com article about how the Browns are in the midst of a “possible strong pursuit” of Watson. She reports that the Browns “are still conducting their own thorough investigation into Watson and the allegations, and must not only be comfortable with what they find but also confident that no such accusations will be made in the future.”
It’s notable that Cabot is the writer as she and Mayfield have had their differences recently. The quarterback has publicly called out her reporting as “clickbait,” though much of her reporting has been verified or proven accurate. And if the Browns do pull the trigger here and trade Mayfield to the Houston Texans for Watson (along with a whole lot more), that will bear out.
The Browns recently acquired Amari Cooper in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, so they’re clearly thinking big about the near future and their ability to compete for championships. They seem to be okay with heading into the year with Mayfield, but it’s likely that, at least on paper, they’d feel even better with Watson at the helm.
With a month to go before the NFL Draft, expect there to be some wild moves and reports ahead.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.