The Cleveland Browns entered the 2024 season thinking they could challenge the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. That didn’t even come close to happening. Deshaun Watson struggled, got hurt, and missed the rest of the year. The offense fell apart, the defense took a step back, and a team that made the playoffs the year prior bottomed out at 3-14. Somehow the season was actually worse than their abysmal record would indicate.
It was a full-on collapse—the kind of season where you start rethinking every major decision you’ve made in the past three years. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Cleveland right now.
Because on Monday, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam basically admitted what Ravens fans (and, really, everyone else) have been saying since day one: The Deshaun Watson trade was a disaster.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam regrets Deshaun Watson decision
When asked about Watson at the NFL league meetings, Haslam didn’t sugarcoat a thing:
“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. … (the trade) was an entire organization decision, and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”
You don’t usually hear owners talk like that, especially when the player in question is still on the team. Watson is entering Year 4 of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract, and the man who signed it is publicly calling it a whiff. You truly cannot make this stuff up.
To be fair, it’s refreshing to hear some honesty for once. Most owners would throw their coach or general manager under the bus and call it a day. Instead, Haslam owned it. But that doesn’t make it any less funny or better. Especially for football fans, who’ve been laughing at this move since it was announced.
Watson’s future in Cleveland feels shakier than ever, and while they haven’t pulled the plug yet, the power cord is definitely halfway out of the socket. The rebuild-after-the-rebuild is on, and Haslam just announced it to the world.
The best part about all of this—and I know I mentioned it earlier—but the guy is still on the team. Only the Browns could make a massive mistake and then make an even bigger mistake by publicly bashing their own mistake. It's timeless.