Browns Are Pressed to Trade for a $26 Million Quarterback Instead of Watson
Deshaun Watson will still be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in 2024, but if his problems persist, there will be other quarterbacks vying for his spot.
On February 27, ESPN Analytics’ Seth Walder attempted to pick every NFL team’s opening day starter. Predictive research was not used in Watson’s selection to start as the Browns’ starting quarterback because head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Watson as the starter going into the offseason almost immediately after Cleveland’s playoff run concluded. Walder added a disclaimer, reiterating his assessment from earlier in the month that the Browns ought to try to acquire Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields through trade, if they so want.
Justin Fields Provides Browns with a Viable Target at a Reasonable Cost
Fields wouldn’t be terribly expensive, but he also wouldn’t be a cheap choice for the Browns as Watson’s backup or replacement.
With a cap hit of about $6 million, the 24-year-old will play in 2024, the last year of his rookie contract, which is worth $18.9 million. Fields, a previous first-round selection (number 11 overall in 2021), is attached to a five-year team option that the Bears, or any team that acquires him this spring, can exercise. That season (2025) will set you back $25.7 million.
Fields’ market worth is projected by Spotrac to be $283 million over the course of a new six-year contract; however, that amount won’t decrease for another two seasons. Fields would cost Cleveland over half of Watson’s 2024 contract alone in the next two seasons because Watson has a $64 million cap charge in each of the following three seasons.
In 2024, Joe Flacco might not be the Browns’ best option to backup Deshaun Watson.
Naturally, given the amount of money the Browns are currently paying on their main quarterback, it is still a significant investment at the position. But since joining Cleveland, Watson has only started 12 of a possible 34 regular-season games, ranking him among the NFL’s least likely starters to be on the field regularly in 2024.
Due to a suspension for breaking the league’s player code of conduct, Watson was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Browns started Jacoby Brissett 11 times in 2022. In 2023, Cleveland’s starting quarterbacks were four other quarterbacks. Watson’s season was cut short by shoulder surgery in November after he alternated between the starting lineup and injuries.
Joe Flacco was by far the most successful of among four players, starting four games and averaging well over 300 yards passing each contest. His record was 4-1. Flacco has stated that he plans to play two more seasons, so it is far from a given that he would rejoin the Browns for the upcoming campaign. Instead, he will likely look for a place where he can at least start Week 1.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the New England Patriots may be interested in drafting Joe Flacco as a bridge quarterback if they select a rookie with the third overall choice. Flacco may also attract interest from other teams in the upcoming days, weeks, and months.
Fields makes sense for a Browns team that has spent a lot of money building a win-now roster, considering all the variables and the likelihood that he will only cost a second-round selection to acquire.
