The Cleveland Browns have put winning above anything else with Deshaun Watson
The Cleveland Browns put their entire fanbase in a tough spot regarding Deshaun Watson. Instantly, fans took sides as to whether or not they believed the signing was worth it given the quarterback's legal troubles, along with the fact that he may face a suspension this season.
Training camp is starting and there is still no certainty on his situation. That means the constant conversations about his status continue to rage on in bars, homes, and on sports talk radio in and around Northeast Ohio.
But no matter where fans fall in the discussion, one thing is clear: the Browns only care about winning and are willing to take on criticism and potentially lose fans in order to do that.
The Browns are accepting the risks with Deshaun Watson
The team added Deshaun Watson knowing he would face a likely suspension in 2022. That was the case no matter the length of the eventual ban he receives. Thus, they accepted this as more of a long-term plan.
His five-year deal means the team can easily punt on 2022 and still have four more guaranteed years to chase a Super Bowl. And if they still don't achieve that goal by then, they will have established enough goodwill with the quarterback by sticking with him to keep him around on a new deal.
But what if Watson gets a full-season ban in 2022? Again, the team seems fine with that and will stand behind him no matter what.
The odd part of the situation is the fully-guaranteed, $230 million deal given to the signal-caller. It's clear this happened because the Browns had to go the extra mile to convince him to accept a deal to come to Cleveland. Otherwise, he would likely be a member of the Atlanta Falcons right now.
At the time, it appeared as if the Browns set a new NFL precedent with a fully guaranteed deal. However, that is not the case and even Kyler Murray's massive new deal comes with $160 million guaranteed out of a total $230.5 million.
This leaves the Browns looking a little silly and even desperate for committing so much to Watson. So why did they do that? Well, it all goes back to doing whatever it takes to win a Super Bowl, no matter the cost.
Of course, there are some serious potential negatives with all of this. The team may not win a Super Bowl, or even reach one for that matter with Watson at the helm. The AFC is stacked and the quarterback may not play a full season with the team until 2023.
There are still open civil lawsuits against him as well, which will be dealt with in 2023. More could also come out as time goes on. This means the legal distraction surrounding him is not going to magically disappear soon.
Browns ownership has the right idea in trying to go after a Super Bowl. However, the current strategy may just not be worth all the serious drama.