The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans have reportedly agreed on a deal to send QB Deshaun Watson to Cleveland in exchange for a massive haul of draft capital. Reports included that the Browns would basically be ripping up his old contract to give him a brand new one that had the most guaranteed money in the history of the NFL.
Part of the details of that contract includes a structure that would indirectly minimize the financial impact of a suspension for Watson in 2022. That structure is the same as the one Myles Garrett signed last year but many are concerned the team did Watson a favor to benefit him during a suspension.
An interesting twist is that the Texans announced the trade at 7:30 PM Friday night with the post still up Saturday morning:
We have agreed to trade QB Deshaun Watson and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, 2023 third-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick.
Statement from GM Nick Caserio:
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) March 18, 2022
Watson even posted a photograph on Instagram showing his excitement to join the team.
The twist? The Browns have not announced anything regarding the trade. Currently, the last post on the team’s Twitter account was at 1:30 PM yesterday. The same is true of their Facebook page.
Perhaps the team has a structure plan to announce the acquisition of Watson. With the pending civil cases and troubling allegations, Cleveland’s management may be deliberate in the process.
Either way, one team has announced a trade 15 hours ago (at the time of this writing) while the other has been silent on the matter.
