Update On Burrow's Extension

[Graphicguy]

(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.

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.