Matt Miller reiterates Browns’ $230,000,000 mistake to warn against reaching for Shedeur Sanders in 2025 NFL draft

NFL analyst Matt Miller has issued a stark warning to teams contemplating drafting quarterback Shedeur Sanders with high picks in the 2025 NFL draft. He cited the Cleveland Browns' massive contract mistake with Deshaun Watson as a cautionary tale. The Browns hold the second pick in the draft.

"You can't take the quarterback if you don't love one, and I think that's the key for so many of these teams," Miller said on "Up and Adams" on Wednesday. "Cleveland made a mistake with Deshaun Watson.

"Like, the owners have come out and said, We messed up. We shouldn't have given him that contract. Now, we got to learn from it.' I think the lesson you learn from that is you can't reach for a quarterback."

The comments reference Cleveland's five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract given to Watson in 2022.

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Matt Miller emphasized that front offices must resist pressure from ownership to select quarterbacks they don't fully believe in:

"I know there's going to be pressure from ownership to go get that guy but if you don't believe that Shedeur Sanders, the number two quarterback in this draft, if you don't believe he's the right guy for your situation, I think the worst thing you can do is reach for a quarterback."

A recent report from Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson confirmed that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was the driving force behind the Watson acquisition:

"People around the league know it. I feel like I've known it for a while, but I definitely get the sense that across the league, they don't pin that on Berry, Stefanski. They know that when Deshaun Watson became someone who was on their radar, that Haslam basically took the control and I'm going to get this done."

Owner Jimmy Haslam himself acknowledged the Watson mistake, according to a New York Times report:

"We took a big swing-and-miss with DeShaun. 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."

The Browns face a quarterback crisis heading into the 2025 season.

Deshaun Watson is expected to miss significant time following a second tear of his Achilles tendon.

With the Titans expected to select Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the first pick, the spotlight now falls on Cleveland at No. 2.

The Browns have shown interest in Shedeur Sanders, with Stefanski reportedly planning to take him to dinner before Colorado's NFL showcase.