What Deshaun Watson Going to Cleveland Says About the Browns

 
What Deshaun Watson Going to Cleveland Says About the Browns 
 
A couple of weeks ago, the Deshaun Watson to Cleveland move shocked the NFL world. Several teams expressed an interest in Watson, or at least, they gave the idea lip service. It’s one thing to express interest in a quarterback, though, and another to offer him an enormous contract with fully guaranteed money.
 
Deshaun Watson became persona non grata in Houston after several women came forward with disturbing allegations. We will talk about what Watson going to the Browns means for Cleveland and the rest of the league right now.
 
Football’s Popularity
The first thing to get out of the way is that football is arguably more popular now than at any other time. Fantasy football is more popular than ever, that’s for sure. It’s big business, with websites dedicated to it and entire talk shows on ESPN that cover football’s fantasy aspect alone.  
 
Sports gambling is picking up steam as well. New York legalized online sportsbook betting just a couple of weeks before the playoffs, following New Jersey and other markets that wanted the tax revenue. Ultimately, that’s what drives sports gambling and, you could argue, football itself.
 
Even if you’re not betting on football, you’re viewing commercials when you watch a football game. Various companies pay big money to get those ads in front of you, and they pay even more during the playoffs. Consider how much money a 30-second commercial spot costs during the Superbowl.
 
Also, if the NFL picks a stadium to host the Superbowl, that means cash for that city. Millions of dollars flood that market because fans come from all across the country to see the game. They spend money on hotels, restaurants, and other tourist attractions aside from the game itself.
 
How Does All This Relate to the Browns and Watson?
The point is that football is big business, but you don’t get to see much of that if your team doesn’t win. If you’re a dynasty like the Patriots were for all of those years, you sell more merchandise. The talking heads on ESPN discuss you nonstop. You see your team’s colors all across the country, not just in your local market.
 
Cleveland has never had any of that. The Browns have been an afterthought for virtually their entire history. Team ownership didn’t think they could ascend to the next level with their previous quarterback, Baker Mayfield, even though he managed to lead the team to a postseason victory over their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a couple of years ago.
 
The Browns Will Do Anything to Win
Deshaun Watson has a total of twenty-two civil cases hanging over his head at the moment. Many masseuses say that he behaved inappropriately with them during massage sessions over the past several years. While the Houston DA’s office stated that it will not pursue criminal charges against Watson, he might still have to pay a lot of money to settle those open civil cases.
 
The NFL could also still punish him for violating its code of conduct. There’s no timetable for when the league might complete its investigation, but there’s no guarantee that Watson could start for Cleveland in September when the new football season rolls around.
 
The Browns, despite Watson’s ongoing legal woes and the cloud hanging over him, seemingly had no issues with giving him a five-year deal worth $230 million, all in guaranteed money. Baker Mayfield is still on their roster, and they could still trade him, but the Watson move made their position crystal clear.
 
Cleveland’s position is that they’re tired of the rest of the league, and even their fanbase, regarding them as a laughingstock. This move says that they’re willing to do anything, literally anything, to win.
 
They’ll weather the outrage from women’s groups. They’ll endure the fanbase segment that thought this move was so repugnant they’re canceling their season tickets. They feel like Watson is their guy, and they were willing to move forward with him, to the tune of 5 years and $230 million.
 
The Cincinnati Bengals reaching the Superbowl last year and coming within one drive of winning it probably didn’t help Cleveland’s outlook. The Bengals were another also-ran before last season. It seems as though the Cleveland front office and team ownership decided that they were more than willing to hold their nose, bring in Watson, and pay him.
 
The football world will have to see whether this gamble pays off or backfires spectacularly.