(04-18-2023, 04:49 PM)Nately120 Wrote: The Watson deal is insane, but the Browns were so terrified of giving Mayfield $35+ million per year that they went way overboard to get a better QB.  It was truly a one-time perfect storm situation.  The Browns watched teams like the Rams get stuck giving a mediocre QB like Goff a huge contract and then having to move heaven and earth to get a top tier QB in Stafford, which paid off.  They didn't want to pay Mayfield but were worried they'd have to without having a reason to move off of a QB who won their only playoff game in 20+ years.  Then Mayfield wants out just because the Browns were looking into Watson, and Watson tells the Browns "No thanks" but he's really saying "You're desperate now, so go way overboard and I'll be your QB" and they went all in.

A lot of things had to fall in place, there.  Any Mayfield mucked things up himself by demanding a trade, because he could have filled in on that team and earned a decent sized "FU" contract elsewhere by playing decent football on a better and more familiar roster...bonus points that Watson came off of his suspension and looked like crap.  Instead, Mayfield wants out for the sake of wanting out and ends up flopping in Carolina.  Everyone involved just stuffed this whole thing up, except Jacoby Brisset

Academically, I can sort of get why the Browns did it...this is what teams who spend decades in QB hell do.  Instead of handing out desperate contracts to guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick or Matt Flynn like other teams, they just saved it all up for one gigantic terrible contract.

(04-18-2023, 05:31 PM)Graphicguy Wrote: On top of all that, it's not clear that they signed a top tier QB.  He looks pretty average from what we've seen so far.  IT was a bad signing at the time, and looks even worse, now.  They're saddled with an onerous QB contract that they can't move away from, and they also traded away good draft picks for the priviledge.  

Only the Browns could pull that off.  

(04-18-2023, 04:49 PM)Nately120 Wrote: The Watson deal is insane, but the Browns were so terrified of giving Mayfield $35+ million per year that they went way overboard to get a better QB.  It was truly a one-time perfect storm situation.  The Browns watched teams like the Rams get stuck giving a mediocre QB like Goff a huge contract and then having to move heaven and earth to get a top tier QB in Stafford, which paid off.  They didn't want to pay Mayfield but were worried they'd have to without having a reason to move off of a QB who won their only playoff game in 20+ years.  Then Mayfield wants out just because the Browns were looking into Watson, and Watson tells the Browns "No thanks" but he's really saying "You're desperate now, so go way overboard and I'll be your QB" and they went all in.

A lot of things had to fall in place, there.  Any Mayfield mucked things up himself by demanding a trade, because he could have filled in on that team and earned a decent sized "FU" contract elsewhere by playing decent football on a better and more familiar roster...bonus points that Watson came off of his suspension and looked like crap.  Instead, Mayfield wants out for the sake of wanting out and ends up flopping in Carolina.  Everyone involved just stuffed this whole thing up, except Jacoby Brisset

Academically, I can sort of get why the Browns did it...this is what teams who spend decades in QB hell do.  Instead of handing out desperate contracts to guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick or Matt Flynn like other teams, they just saved it all up for one gigantic terrible contract.

(04-18-2023, 08:52 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: That MIGHT make sense if Watson wasn't caught up in all of those sexual assault allegations which ended up being true.

No other team was going near him.

(04-18-2023, 09:52 PM)Nately120 Wrote: We can wish that was the case, but we know it wasn't.  

(04-18-2023, 08:52 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: That MIGHT make sense if Watson wasn't caught up in all of those sexual assault allegations which ended up being true.

No other team was going near him.

(04-19-2023, 12:43 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Eh...there were 4-5 teams that wanted him. Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Browns, and maybe more.

He didn't want to go to the Browns, thus they came in and fully guaranteed that deal. It's the only way he would go there. They were desperate in a sense.

Now, I agree with you in the sense that teams SHOULDN'T have wanted to sign him because of the off-the-field stuff.

(04-19-2023, 12:43 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Eh...there were 4-5 teams that wanted him. Saints, Panthers, Falcons, Browns, and maybe more.

He didn't want to go to the Browns, thus they came in and fully guaranteed that deal. It's the only way he would go there. They were desperate in a sense.

Now, I agree with you in the sense that teams SHOULDN'T have wanted to sign him because of the off-the-field stuff.

(04-18-2023, 08:52 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: That MIGHT make sense if Watson wasn't caught up in all of those sexual assault allegations which ended up being true.

No other team was going near him.

(04-19-2023, 05:31 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Right, a number of teams were ready to overpay for Watson, the Browns just went extra overboard. 

The Browns are stupid enough as it is without us pretending they used three 1st round picks and gave a quarter of a billion guaranteed bucks to get a guy no one else was interested in. 

(04-19-2023, 01:21 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I agree with the fact that there were more teams but not that we’re going to offer anywhere near 230 million, and especially not fully guaranteed (I thought it was 250 but something today said240, but stupid either way).

(04-19-2023, 06:43 PM)tms Wrote: Whether he makes the team on the field better or not, I'm just glad we don't have Watson. I'd find it really really really hard to cheer for that.

(04-19-2023, 08:56 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yes. He didn't want to go there, so they did the nuclear option and guaranteed a contract fully for a guy with that much baggage.

(04-19-2023, 08:59 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: Yep. Interesting how Browns fans embraced him though.

(04-20-2023, 08:29 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Well, Cleveland IS the new Pissburgh....

(04-18-2023, 05:40 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I'll say one thing, the Browns have a better chance of winning the SB now than they did with all of the "good value" QBs they've trotted out from 1999 to 2021.  It doesn't mean they'll win, but I can squint and maybe see Watson getting hot at the right time and winning if lightning strikes. That's something I can't say about Kelly Holcomb or Brandon Weeden and so on.

You need a QB in this league, so I could see the Browns saying that a WAY WAY WAY overpaid Watson has a better chance of winning it all than a WAY WAY overpaid Mayfield or another nobody QB they've been rotating in for 20+ years.  Faint praise, but I feel like I'm being fair here.

I'll give 'em a 2 or 3% chance.  For the Browns that's probably worth tossing the dice.  

(04-20-2023, 11:01 AM)ochocincos Wrote: AFC North could be right up there with the likes of the AFC West as one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.

(04-20-2023, 11:11 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: The AFC North already is better. Two of the teams in the West were trash last year. And unless Payton can totally revitalize Wilson’s career there probably will be again.