"I wish they hadn’t guaranteed the whole contract" - Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti calls out Browns for Deshaun Watson deal
When the Cleveland Browns acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans, it sent shock waves in the NFL world. The Browns gave up first-round picks in 2022, 2023, 2024, a 2023 third-rounder, and 2022 and 2024 fourth-round selections for Watson.
Watson signed a record-breaking extension with the Cleveland Browns upon acquiring him via trade. The Browns gave Watson a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti thinks Watson was undeserving of the contract and wishes they didn't guarantee the whole deal.
Bisciotti said:
"It's like damn, I wish they hadn't guaranteed the whole contract. I don't know that he should've been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract."
Part 1 of Bisciotti on impact of Deshaun Watson's new deal with Cleveland on Jackson talks: "It's like, 'Damn, I wish they hadn't guaranteed the whole contract.' I don't know that he should've been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract."
Deshaun Watson missed all of last season due to his ongoing legal issues where he was being investigated for sexual assault with multiple women.
Watson's trade market escalated immediately following a Houston grand jury's decision on March 11 not to file criminal charges against the quarterback. Since then, as many as 10 teams have been interested in signing him, with the final three coming down to the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns. The Browns won the trade as they offered the most money, including a fully-guaranteed contract.
Bisciotti is displeased with the contract because he knows Lamar Jackson will demand similar money. Unlike Watson, Jackson has never missed a year, nor has he been accused of serious crimes. He's also been a great leader for Baltimore since being drafted in 2018.
Kirk Cousins was technically the first player to get a fully-guaranteed contract, not Deshaun Watson
Bisciotti's comments about Watson being the first fully-guaranteed contract ever are wrong. Kirk Cousins was the first player in NFL history to sign a fully-guaranteed contract. It might not have been as lucrative as Watson's, but the Minnesota Vikings inked Cousins to a three-year $84 million deal in 2018.
Kirk Cousins plans to sign a three-year, fully-guaranteed contract from the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.
While many other quarterbacks have signed more lucrative contracts since Cousins' fully-guaranteed contract, only a few others have had such agreements. Bills' Josh Allen recently signed a six-year deal that pays him $150 million guaranteed. Aaron Rodgers signed a new contract that will pay him roughly $150.7 million in guaranteed money.
After Watson's contract, it'll make it hard for owners to negotiate with quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert.