This Thursday night in Detroit Michigan the NFL will hold its annual College Football Draft. And for the third consecutive year the Cleveland Browns are without a first-round pick. This is due to the 2022 Deshaun Watson trade. Two years later the trade is still characterized as one the worst trades in NFL history. Is it a fair characterization of the Watson trade? I think the jury is still out on it. And the facts about the trade for Watson needs to be revisited.

The narrative that the Browns were desperate for the deal is not true. Nor that no one else wanted Watson. There were 3 other teams in competition for Watson’s services in 2022. The Saints, Panthers, and Falcons all tried to trade for and sign Watson despite his legal troubles. The $230 million dollar fully guaranteed contract is what’s criticized the most about the trade. At this moment and time, the Cleveland Browns have not at all been hampered by Watson’s contract. The idea that it is an albatross for the Browns is not at all factual. No players have been released due to salary cap restrictions and the Browns were able to sign and trade for players to fill team needs. So much so that they have a Super Bowl contending roster in 2024. Why does the national sports media still characterize this trade the way they do? And how can their minds be changed?

We must start with the image that the Cleveland Browns brought upon themselves. The team was terrible from 1999-2019. The Cleveland Browns had only one playoff season in 2002 and two winning seasons 2002 and 2007 in first the two decades of the Cleveland Browns expansion era. The national sports media can easily write off anything the team does as failure. The only way to change that is to win consistently for long period of time. And to win the trade they have to win a Super Bowl. And the Browns have the roster to do it.