“Cut him loose and end this”: NFL fans react to Browns owner admitting Deshaun Watson’s $230,000,000 trade blunder

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted that the Deshaun Watson experiment was a "miss." The Browns paid a king's ransom in their trade for him with the Houston Texans in 2022.

Cleveland sent their 2022, 2023 and 2024 first-round draft picks, their 2023 third-round pick and their fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024. Watson signed a five-year $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Browns after the trade. However, Watson missed several games due to suspension in 2022 because of sexual harassment allegations.

In 2023 and 2024, Watson suffered season-ending injuries, including a ruptured Achilles tendon in October. Watson re-ruptured his Achilles in January and will likely miss the majority of the 2025 campaign. According to Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, Haslam admitted that the entire Watson ordeal has been a big "swing and miss."

“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun," Haslam said. "We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (It) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”

Fans reacted to Haslam's comments on X.

"Then cut him loose and end this," a fan tweeted.

"WORST. OWNER. IN. SPORTS," another fan tweeted.

"Look. It was the worst decision in the history of professional sports. But at least they had the guts to take a chance. So there is that. Being idle is a greater sin," a fan said.

"The thing is, it's not just this colossal mistake. Haslam let go of a franchise QB to go get Watson. He made two colossal mistakes back to back. He needs to admit that mistake too. He should never be allowed to be involved in any of these decisions after such huge mistakes," another fan said.

"Taking responsibility is the best way to move forward as an org. Jimmy has a mountain of mistakes, but this thinking makes me hopeful we can get back on track," a fan wrote.

"They should still sell the team but atleast finally took accountability," one fan commented.

Will Cleveland draft Deshaun Watson's replacement at the NFL draft?

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns - Source: Imagn

The Cleveland Browns hold the second overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft. With the team potentially ready to move on from Watson, it could use the pick to select its next franchise quarterback. The top two QBs available in the class are Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. The Tennessee Titans hold the first overall pick.

It's believed that Tennessee will use its pick on Ward, leaving Sanders to fall to Cleveland at No. 2. The Browns could also select a QB later in the draft if they want to use their second overall pick on a player like Abdul Carter. It will be interesting to see what Cleveland does should it move on from Watson.