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

[borg]

I don't see Kraft ever agreeing to give up $90 million for draft picks.

The guy charged $5 for Solo cups of tap water on a scorching day when the stadium ran out of bottled water.....

so.....

 

[fester]

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.

You're basically proposing a NBA trade.... or the Texans-Browns 2018 Osweiler trade where the Browns got the QB and a 2nd round pick to eat $16 million dollars in guaranteed cash. That is about 9% of the salary cap. The 2025 cap is expected to be 255 million or so. 45 million is about 17% to 18% of salary cap over both the '25 and '26 seasons. 17% of

Given that the trade would mean the Patriots would basically be writing off the 2025 season by blowing a substantial portion of the available cap on a draft pick purchase. That could make sense if the team already is writing the season off while trying to bring in a bunch of really cheap but high ceiling rookies... but to take on this much money over multiple seasons would need to be a reeeedonkulous trade so yeah a Top 5 pick plus multiple other 1sts and 2nds over a few years MIGHT make it worth while.

I don't think Cleveland will burn their one chance to get better after Watson is gone to get rid of him even faster.

Open Source Football: NFL Draft Value Chart

Constructing surplus value from scratch.

opensourcefootball.com

Texans trade Brock Osweiler, 2018 second-round pick to Browns

The Texans have traded QB Brock Osweiler and his $16M salary, a second-round pick and a sixth-round selection to the Browns for a fourth-round pick.

www.espn.com

 

[Wozzy]

The guy charged $5 for Solo cups of tap water on a scorching day when the stadium ran out of bottled water.....

so.....

In Kraft's defense, nobody is making this trade.

A first round draft pick isn't worth a hundred million dollars.

 

[WhatJustHappened]

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

Get Lost
That dude is a LOSER in/out of the field.
I don't have to even read this drivel.

Bah

 

[Thunderhead]

*pukes in thread*

 

[Sect140]

92 million is a lot for a top five pick. I’m not sure the Browns management team is smart enough to make a deal like this.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Get Lost
That dude is a LOSER in/out of the field.
I don't have to even read this drivel.

Bah

The trade isn't to get him and play him its for the haul we could get to take him off their hands.

 

[Rob0729]

Get Lost
That dude is a LOSER in/out of the field.
I don't have to even read this drivel.

Bah

He is a loser. In this hypothetical trade, the team that received him would probably cut him before training camp.

Maybe if you actual read my most post, you wouldn't look so foolish. I never argued to trade for Watson to ever let him play a down for the Patriots or any other team that traded for him in this hypothetical.

I don't ever want Watson to be on this team and playing. I would love to have the Browns' top 5 pick and whatever else they would have to trade for another team to take the remaining $92 million in salary off their hands. I just don't think Kraft thinks it is worth $92 million to buy that draft pick and whatever else.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

He is a loser. In this hypothetical trade, the team that received him would probably cut him before training camp.

Maybe if you actual read my most post, you wouldn't look so foolish. I never argued to trade for Watson to ever let him play a down for the Patriots or any other team that traded for him in this hypothetical.

I don't think some posters picked up on that part, maybe only read your title.

 

[Rob0729]

I don't think some posters picked up on that part, maybe only read your title.

I think people should read before they comment. Who would argue to trade for Watson to make him the starting QB when the Pats just used a #3 pick on a QB who hasn't even seen the field yet? If I saw someone arguing that, I would probably read their post just to see their insane logic to trade for a washed up QB who is one of the highest paid QBs in the league with an 100% guaranteed contract for $92 million over two years after drafting Maye.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

Watson has been awful, his contract is full of guaranteed money, and he is toxic....

So yeah, the Pats should trade for him

Sure the Kraft, massage jokes would be epic, but he just hasn't been close to the player he was pre-massagegate

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

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.

Invest in elite FAs? I'm not sure we'll see many that are willing to come to NE. Bottom of the barrel team, high taxes, crap weather, dysfunctional organization...

As for turning things around and trying to compete, how do you feel about our organization now? Do you think we've got a solid owner, FO and coaching staff? All are prerequisites for a turnaround.

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

Watson has been awful, his contract is full of guaranteed money, and he is toxic....

So yeah, the Pats should trade for him

Sure the Kraft, massage jokes would be epic, but he just hasn't been close to the player he was pre-massagegate

That's not what OP was suggesting. He even said to cut him after June 1st. It's a trade for high value picks and maybe some other assets. And he wasn't advocating for it, just starting a conversation.

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

You're basically proposing a NBA trade.... or the Texans-Browns 2018 Osweiler trade where the Browns got the QB and a 2nd round pick to eat $16 million dollars in guaranteed cash. That is about 9% of the salary cap. The 2025 cap is expected to be 255 million or so. 45 million is about 17% to 18% of salary cap over both the '25 and '26 seasons. 17% of

Given that the trade would mean the Patriots would basically be writing off the 2025 season by blowing a substantial portion of the available cap on a draft pick purchase. That could make sense if the team already is writing the season off while trying to bring in a bunch of really cheap but high ceiling rookies... but to take on this much money over multiple seasons would need to be a reeeedonkulous trade so yeah a Top 5 pick plus multiple other 1sts and 2nds over a few years MIGHT make it worth while.

I don't think Cleveland will burn their one chance to get better after Watson is gone to get rid of him even faster.

Open Source Football: NFL Draft Value Chart

Constructing surplus value from scratch.

opensourcefootball.com

Texans trade Brock Osweiler, 2018 second-round pick to Browns

The Texans have traded QB Brock Osweiler and his $16M salary, a second-round pick and a sixth-round selection to the Browns for a fourth-round pick.

www.espn.com

Could the Browns offer cash as well, to soften the cap blow to the Pats? I'm not sure what the numbers would be, but it's an interesting idea overall.

 

[Force Zero Boomer]

Get Lost
That dude is a LOSER in/out of the field.
I don't have to even read this drivel.

Bah

You didn't read the OP -- just the subject-- but you commented? OP said to cut him June 1st. Didn't momma teach you not to judge a book by its cover?

 

[denverpatsfan]

Great idea. Krafty Bob can show him how to get a happy ending without the lawsuits....

 

[203Pat]

The trade isn't to get him and play him its for the haul we could get to take him off their hands.

Really are a lot of people in here too simple to understand that apparently.

 

[sb1]

Totally get the purpose of such a trade, it's a classic salary dump. The real value to the trading team would be the contract relief. Kind of like the Brock Osweiler trade a while back.

I think it would be a huge distraction to Maye though. If Maye struggles and he probably will at the start there will be a lot of noise to play Watson and that's not what a young QB needs to deal with.

 

[1960Pats]

Abso****inglutely not.

I've never thought about abandoning the Pats but bringing in that POS might give me second thoughts.

 

[1960Pats]

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

Don't get me stahted.