BEREA, Ohio _ As Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown described the aftermath of last week's failed attempt to trade for Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron, the words "adversity" and "challenging" came to the forefront.
"Last week was a tough, tough week for us from a PR perspective and things we can get better on," Brown said Monday as the team returned from its bye week.
The botched deal could cost Brown his job and damage his relationship with coach Hue Jackson beyond repair despite the executive's insistence he's not concerned about those scenarios.
"I don't [worry about it costing me my job]," Brown said. "We're in good communication with [owners] Dee and Jimmy [Haslam] on these things, and they're well apprised of what we're doing and why and how things come together. They've seen our track record in terms of being able to perform and pull off some of the more creative deals in the league and a host of just simple, straightforward transactions, whether they're in the season or on draft day.
"So I don't [have that concern]. I think they understand that we've been as aggressive as any team trying to churn this roster and improve it."
Jackson wanted McCarron, whom he coached in Cincinnati for two seasons, and the 0-8 Browns agreed to trade second- and third-round picks in 2018 for Andy Dalton's backup. But they failed to finalize the deal by submitting the proper paperwork to the NFL before the 4 p.m. Oct. 31 trade deadline.
Ever since then, people throughout the NFL have been questioning whether Brown or someone else in the front office deliberately sabotaged the trade.
"It's wholly untrue," Brown said. "I think we were all in there together, Hue, myself and a couple other staff members that work on these things at the time, we were trying to get the trade done. So I'm not worried about that internally, externally. I can just put it to bed. That's just not the case. Nothing we would ever do. To try to make up a trade to sabotage a trade just wouldn't make any sense."
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported Sunday members of the Browns coaching staff believe Brown intentionally scuttled the trade. Brown was asked whether he met with the coaches to assure them there was no foul play.
"I'm not worried about that part of it," he said. "Hue was in the room as we were hustling to try to get the deal done, so he observed it, witnessed it. For us, we have to be realistic and big boys about the fact that right now we're not great, and it's easy to pile on and write various things."
Later, Jackson declined to answer questions about the McCarron deal and whether he's comfortable with the relationship between the coaches and front office.
"Sashi addressed all of that," he said.
Asked about a disconnect between the coaches and front office, Brown said, "In these builds and in these moments, there is a lot of adversity that will put pressure on people, and we have to stay united internally."
Brown said everyone involved was "disappointed" the trade didn't go through.
Brown insisted the two AFC North teams agreed upon the deal late and couldn't complete it by sending the proper paperwork to the league office before the 4 p.m. Oct. 31 trade deadline.
"This is just a matter of getting to a deal too late in the process," Brown said. "Both Cincinnati and us tried our damnedest to try to get the paperwork in at the last minute. We're talking about minutes and seconds before the trade deadline ended. We were on the phone with the NFL at the time to try to make it happen. It did not happen. I do think Cincinnati in earnest tried. I know we did everything humanly possible to get it done."
The NFL received a signed trade agreement from the Bengals prior to the deadline but not from the Browns. The Browns contend that's a moot point because the document the Bengals filed to the league contained different language than the one Cleveland signed and sent to Cincinnati.
"There's no paperwork that either side got in that would allow a deal to happen," Brown said.
Jackson wanted McCarron throughout the offseason, and Brown admitted the franchise shouldn't have procrastinated when it came to negotiating with the Bengals.
Jackson wanted quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo even more than McCarron, but the New England Patriots traded Tom Brady's backup Oct. 30 to the San Francisco in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick.
Brown declined to comment on whether he called the Patriots as the trade deadline approached, but he claimed the Browns weren't asleep at the switch and denied a report that he was home by 5 p.m. the day of the Garoppolo deal.
"We will never know what's in the minds of other teams," Brown said. "It'd be nice to be able to control where all the other teams are going to send their players. We don't have that control. But a lot of this stuff that's been written has been made up. Someone can call my wife and kids and tell them where I was at 5 o'clock, but it certainly wasn't home."
Wherever he was, it wasn't the win column. The Browns are 1-23 since Brown, Jackson and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta took control last season.
So even if the Haslams are understanding about the unsuccessful McCarron deal, significant organizational changes are expected after this season. Brown said the owners haven't assured him the regime will stay intact and return next season.
"No, it wouldn't be a conversation that I would have, either," Brown said. "I think the most important thing for us to do is really stay focused on our task at hand. We've got eight [games left] this year. Our [players] have been resilient and focused. I think you'd expect no less from the front office and the coaching staff, and that's what we'll continue to do."
