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The Cleveland Browns have put themselves in quite the pickle with Deshaun Watson. Here we have a team that was not at all involved in, arguably, the biggest scandal in modern NFL history, only to swing a trade, hand a player a fully-guaranteed $230 million deal, and become a focal point of the scandal.
To summarize, the team claimed they did five months of research before trading for the quarterback. He was cleared criminally, and it was fair to expect a small suspension would follow. But the situation only grew from there.
More lawsuits continue to be filed and now the Houston Texans may be implicated in a suit claiming they covered for Watson and his alleged actions. That would not mean the Browns did anything wrong, but it would complicate their plans for the 2022 season.
Plenty of fans may want to know one thing: How could the Browns let this situation happen?
Cleveland Browns may be looking at long-term goals with Deshaun Watson
There is a very real possibility at the moment that Deshaun Watson is hit with a long or even indefinite suspension. That is in the present as lawsuits continue to pour out. But back in March, it appeared that the Cleveland Browns thought they could handle the situation.
The lawsuits on the table were openly discussed and apparently investigated by the team. It's also safe to assume the team believed that Watson told them the whole truth.
But this past week saw a new lawsuit filed that was allegedly new information to the team and Watson's lawyer. This one seems to indicate that he wasn't telling the truth the whole time, which totally changes how the NFL may handle its ongoing investigation.
Yet there is another, more concerning, explanation. The organization may just not care if Watson misses a full season, or even more. He signed a five-year contract that the team fully guaranteed.
He is also making a minimal salary in 2022, which had fans thinking it was done on purpose in case of a suspension. However, such a structure is becoming more commonplace with all the salary cap gymnastics played by teams in the present day.
Let's say he misses most or all of the 2022 season. The Browns still have him for four full years after that and seem prepared to stand behind him no matter what. If the goal is a Super Bowl, no matter what, he gives them a great chance and would also show up fresh after so much time away from the field.
So there is the idea that the team did not know the whole truth, or they had an idea and chose to ignore facts that could emerge when people did a bit more digging.
What seems to be clear is that this situation is a big mess that is not going to be solved anytime soon. That is only bad news for a team in Cleveland seeking any sense of stability.
