Hypothetical: Trade for Deshaun Watson to get a 1st round pick and then dump Watson? (edited)

[Rob0729]

Before you flame me, I know this is a hypothetical and will never happen, but I thought it was an interesting hypothetical. I saw Nick Wright say that the only way Cleveland is going to get out of their Watson disaster is to next offseason package Watson, their first round pick (which is likely to be a top 5 pick), and possibly other draft capital and trade them to a team with a ton of cap space who can absorb his $45 million a year salary for two years just to get his base salary off the books. So you are basically paying $90 million for a top five pick and possibly other draft picks. If the Pats wanted to, they could even immediately cut him as a June 1 designation and still spread the cap hits out over two year. Not sure if they could redo the contract to have dummy option years to spread the cap hit over many years.

I don't see Kraft ever agreeing to give up $90 million for draft picks. And I am not even sure if that is good use of cap resources to buy draft picks. But for Cleveland to get a deal like this done might require them to give up a whole heck of a lot. Maybe almost as much as they gave to get Watson.

If Cleveland does make a trade like this, it could be a case where they helped two teams become legitimate contenders while making two of the worst, one sided trades in NFL history. CJ Stroud gets all credit for the resurgence of the Texans, but the Watson trade gave the Texans a lot of key players. Here is what the Watson trade got the Texans:

• Will Anderson Jr. Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023
• Tank Dell: Starting wide receiver
• Kenyon Green: Starting left guard
• Dameon Pierce: Running back
• Calen Bullock: Starting free safety
• Kamari Lassiter: Starting cornerback
• John Metchie III: Wide receiver
• Christian Harris: Linebacker
• Jamal Hill: Linebacker
• Cade Stover: Tight end

 

[Pape]

Watsons contract is onerous... And he's been playing terrible football when healthy... With Maye here, it would be a step back...

Now, if Cleveland wants to talk about moving their left tackle, then we start bargaining

 

[Rob0729]

Watsons contract is onerous... And he's been playing terrible football when healthy... With Maye here, it would be a step back...

Now, if Cleveland wants to talk about moving their left tackle, then we start bargaining

First, I am not advocating this. I just thought it was an interesting hypothetical.

Second, I am not saying ever to play him. He would either be the most expensive back up QB in NFL history (maybe never making the active roster on Sundays) or cut post June 1st. This would purely be a transfer of cap hit and salary for a wealth of draft picks and/or players. I doubt any team will ever consider Watson as a starter ever again.

 

[Steve102]

Abso****inglutely not.

 

[patsfanfromoversea]

the guy is unlikeable, bad and we have maye

i'd rather trade for OT or WR

 

[Wozzy]

Maye, Maye, Maye…

Build an offensive line, get more offensive linemen than you need. If the offense still looks bad fire Van Pelt and find someone better.

Deshaun Watson is damaged goods… and a sex offender to boot.

 

[Pape]

First, I am not advocating this. I just thought it was an interesting hypothetical.

Second, I am not saying ever to play him. He would either be the most expensive back up QB in NFL history (maybe never making the active roster on Sundays) or cut post June 1st. This would purely be a transfer of cap hit and salary for a wealth of draft picks and/or players. I doubt any team will ever consider Watson as a starter ever again.

Yeah, I get where you are coming from. If you aren't going to play him, there is no point

 

[TomPatriot]

Before you flame me, I know this is a hypothetical and will never happen, but I thought it was an interesting hypothetical. I saw Nick Wright say that the only way Cleveland is going to get out of their Watson disaster is to next offseason package Watson, their first round pick (which is likely to be a top 5 pick), and possibly other draft capital and trade them to a team with a ton of cap space who can absorb his $45 million a year salary for two years just to get his base salary off the books. So you are basically paying $90 million for a top five pick and possibly other draft picks. If the Pats wanted to, they could even immediately cut him as a June 1 designation and still spread the cap hits out over two year. Not sure if they could redo the contract to have dummy option years to spread the cap hit over many years.

I don't see Kraft ever agreeing to give up $90 million for draft picks. And I am not even sure if that is good use of cap resources to buy draft picks. But for Cleveland to get a deal like this done might require them to give up a whole heck of a lot. Maybe almost as much as they gave to get Watson.

If Cleveland does make a trade like this, it could be a case where they helped two teams become legitimate contenders while making two of the worst, one sided trades in NFL history. CJ Stroud gets all credit for the resurgence of the Texans, but the Watson trade gave the Texans a lot of key players. Here is what the Watson trade got the Texans:

• Will Anderson Jr. Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023
• Tank Dell: Starting wide receiver
• Kenyon Green: Starting left guard
• Dameon Pierce: Running back
• Calen Bullock: Starting free safety
• Kamari Lassiter: Starting cornerback
• John Metchie III: Wide receiver
• Christian Harris: Linebacker
• Jamal Hill: Linebacker
• Cade Stover: Tight end

Wow. Just wow.

I’d do that deal if there is no one to sign in FA. I don’t see Cleveland giving up picks to dump Watson though. Nor do I see Kraft forking over that kind of cash.

 

[Rob0729]

Yeah, I get where you are coming from. If you aren't going to play him, there is no point

The point is you are buying draft picks and potentially other impact players. The question is whether it is too much for it. At some point, as long as you are willing to spend the money and you have enough cap space for it to not affect you building the team, it would become worth it. I don't see it ever being worth it for Kraft to spend that money, but another owner might.

 

[Triumph]

Watson and Thunder could go to the massage parlor in the same car thereby saving money on fuel and reducing toxic emissions via fossil fuel.

Whats not to like? Vote YES.

 

[203Pat]

I think some people are missing the point. You aren't trading for Watson to be your quarterback. You are basically buying draft picks and potentially other solid players from the Browns. The owner of the team making this trade with Cleveland would need to be the richest type of rich which I would say the Broncos (Walton's), the Chiefs (Hunt's), the Seahawks (Allen's), Rams (Kronke), or maybe the Panthers (Tepper). We haven't seen enough of the Walton's to know what type of owners they will be. The Hunt's seem to not always spend the way you'd expect them to even in their current dynasty run and the Seahawks are almost up for sale. As for the Rams and Panthers, if you ignore monetary cost, it actually isn't that crazy of an option for them if they get enough back. Both those teams could use a jump start with the Panthers basically giving up on a rebuild a year in and the Stafford coming to the end of the road for the Rams. If they could get a first round pick or two and maybe a couple young solid starters it wouldn't be a terrible idea if you don't blink at spending $90 mill.

 

[Rob0729]

Wow. Just wow.

I’d do that deal if there is no one to sign in FA. I don’t see Cleveland giving up picks to dump Watson though. Nor do I see Kraft forking over that kind of cash.

Cleveland needs to get rid of Watson, but can only do it through trade. Their cap hit for Watson is each of 2025 and 2026 is $73 million. That is like 20% of next year's cap. No one wants Watson because he is guaranteed $92 million in base salary over those two years. The only way they are going to get rid of Watson is by giving a boatload for a team with tons of cap space to take him off their hands. So I think they would gladly give up draft picks for someone to take them off their hands. The question is how much.

But I agree that Kraft would never do it.

 

[Rob0729]

Maye, Maye, Maye…

Build an offensive line, get more offensive linemen than you need. If the offense still looks bad fire Van Pelt and find someone better.

Deshaun Watson is damaged goods… and a sex offender to boot.

It isn't trading for Watson to ever play him. It is basically paying $92 million to buy a top 5 draft pick and more. Watson is just the toxic asset that the Browns would be getting off their books. If anyone does this deal is unlikely to ever play Watson. If someone like the Panthers does it, they might let him compete in camp. But they would not be trading to get a QB.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

I would rather invest the $90 million into a few elite players and let Cleveland keep the pervert.

Plenty of teams have improved quickly in the NFL, if Maye can play at even a league average level in 2025 the Patriots are only a couple of OL and maybe a WR away from being at least a middle of the pack team.

It's the NFL, it's never as bad as you think, the 2022 Texans were 3-13-1 did anyone see them turning into a genuine contender so fast?

It's not hard in the modern era to at least get your team to the Steelers type .500 floating around in the playoff hunt level quickly.

 

[mike_usagisan]

Cleveland needs to get rid of Watson, but can only do it through trade. Their cap hit for Watson is each of 2025 and 2026 is $73 million. That is like 20% of next year's cap. No one wants Watson because he is guaranteed $92 million in base salary over those two years. The only way they are going to get rid of Watson is by giving a boatload for a team with tons of cap space to take him off their hands. So I think they would gladly give up draft picks for someone to take them off their hands. The question is how much.

But I agree that Kraft would never do it.

Granted I haven't been following to Cleveland or Watson, but before Cleveland does that, shouldn't they explore all options to see if they can turn Watson around? Or have they already done that? Is there an OC from the old Texans who was able to get the most out of him (BoB?)?

 

[Sicilian]

Essentially the question is: Should you pay a boatload of money for an extra top 5 pick. Because there's no way in hell you let this guy actually anywhere near your team, so you'd be trading for him, then strapping him to a rocket and shooting him directly into the sun.

 

[Rob0729]

Granted I haven't been following to Cleveland or Watson, but before Cleveland does that, shouldn't they explore all options to see if they can turn Watson around? Or have they already done that? Is there an OC from the old Texans who was able to get the most out of him (BoB?)?

Watson has been hot garbage for them for what two years now? I think he took the money and decided to just mail it in. If they didn't trade so much and stupidly give him a five year $230 million contract totally guaranteed, I think he would be cut or benched by now.

 

[Thunderhead]

Who wouldn't want a psychotic sex pervert leading their football team?

 

[Brotherblues]

Essentially the question is: Should you pay a boatload of money for an extra top 5 pick. Because there's no way in hell you let this guy actually anywhere near your team, so you'd be trading for him, then strapping him to a rocket and shooting him directly into the sun.

Should have just been asked like that from the beginning.

The premise is: if you have cap space and the available FAs are unattractive or unwilling to sign with you, would you trade some of that cap room for picks, including a top 5 pick?

Then it's a matter of equating draft value to cap value.

But yeah. In this case, gimme two firsts and it's a deal.

 

[203Pat]

Essentially the question is: Should you pay a boatload of money for an extra top 5 pick. Because there's no way in hell you let this guy actually anywhere near your team, so you'd be trading for him, then strapping him to a rocket and shooting him directly into the sun.

Agreed. I think most people are thinking of OP's hypothetical as trading for Watson in the traditional sense. This is basically the Brock Osweiler trade multiplied by 10 and ironically enough involving the same two teams as the Watson trade. One team is basically buying picks and the other team is selling assets to get out of a bad deal and gain cap space.