Browns: No such thing as a “good” trade package for Deshaun Watson

There is no “good” trade for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson if you’re the Browns,not with a healthy Baker Mayfield around.

If you think Baker Mayfield is better than Deshaun Watson, that’s fine. If you think Watson is better than Mayfield, that’s fine too. Do you want to know why? Because you’re haggling over percentage points of difference at best. As good as Watson is, he didn’t make the playoffs this year. Mayfield did.

“But Mayfield had a better offense!” No, he really didn’t. Mayfield’s offense was constantly in flux the entire year. Odell Beckham missed nine games and was ineffective in nearly all 16. Nick Chubb was gone for nearly 4.5 games and wasn’t exactly hitting 100 yards every game when healthy. Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant, and David Njoku all missed time. Wyatt Teller spent half the season injured, with Joel Bitonio, Jedrick Wills, and Jack Conklin all missing some time as well. Heck, at one point Mayfield’s best guards were two guys he had never played with before.

Jarvis Landry played the first 13-odd weeks as a shell of his former self while recovering from major hip issues, and Kareem Hunt was not the same runner he was when he was in Kansas City. The loan constant was Mayfield. Mayfield made sure the injuries didn’t derail the team. So the notion that Mayfield had “lots of help” is a lie. Mayfield had to deal with lots of injuries and guys missing time due to COVID, and all the while got the Browns to their best year since 1988 when they last went to the AFC title game. Oh, and Mayfield had a career year of efficiency to boot.

This isn’t to say Mayfield is better than Watson, but it does indicate that they’re much closer in talent than people want to admit. So when people suggest trading for Watson, it really doesn’t make any real sense. That’s why ESPN’s Bill Barnell’s trade suggestion is a total non-starter.

"It’s tough for me to imagine the Browns hitting the reset button on their core after their first playoff win in 26 years, but Watson might be worth it. The Texans would get two first-rounders and both their quarterback of the future and a possible replacement for DeAndre Hopkins in Beckham, who is coming off a torn ACL."

Watson isn’t worth it if you’re a Browns fan. Not at all, not even a little. You’re splitting hairs when you talk about Mayfield and Watson being better than one another. Watson played in a system that catered to him first, while Mayfield played in a system that catered to the rush first, but maximized his abilities.

The biggest difference is perception. When Mayfield struggled in a bad offense his second-year in the league, it was mostly his fault. ESPN called him a bust, Fox Sports 1 called him a little boy. Yet, when Watson couldn’t win games in 2020, it was the team’s fault for trading away DeAndre Hopkins. Except, Watson was better without Hopkins, and Hopkins had his best season ever without Watson.

But Watson couldn’t win with an offense catered to him. Mayfield won and stood out, in spite of the offense being catered to others. Perception is the biggest issue when comparing these two quarterbacks. They’re both top-ten guys, hell, they’re both arguably top-five at this point. Mayfield topped Watson in QBR but Watson topped Mayfield in Quarterback Rating (not the same stat).

Really, how many guys ahead of them would you pick over one another? Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, maybe. Everyone else is too old, too slow, too inconsistent, or simply not as talented.

Trading Mayfield, Beckham, two first-round picks, and a fourth-round pick for Watson is the dumbest trade possible for an increase of maybe marginal improvement. If the Browns are as smart as people claim they are, this thought hasn’t even been seriously entertained. Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback. It’s time to start accepting it.