“They handled it wrong” - Shannon Sharpe calls out Browns for treatment of Baker Mayfield during Deshaun Watson bidding war

When Deshaun Watson went up on the trade block, several teams made it clear that they were making a play to obtain him. The former Houston Texans quarterback is an incredible talent, but comes with substantial baggage. One of those teams, the one that ultimately won the prize, was the Cleveland Browns.

Baker Mayfield had a down year in 2021, during which time he played through an injury. This was just one season removed from Mayfeld leading the Browns to their first playoff win of the millennium. The Browns could be said to be something of a reactionary franchise, living very much in the moment.

They felt that Deshaun Watson was an upgrade and broke the bank to bring him in, giving him a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract. This despite his off-the-field legal troubles and his choice to sit out the 2021 season rather than return to a poorly run Texans team.

Baker Mayfield is finally out of Cleveland following his trade to the Carolina Panthers. They traded the quarterback for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Undisputed co-host and former NFL star Shannon Sharpe recently reflected on the whole situation.

Here's what he said:

"Baker was of running out of options, but I will give him this is that normally when we feel someone has done us wrong, we want them to pay the ultimate price."

He continued:

"I do believe, Skip, Cleveland handled this situation, they could have handled it better. I don't know how you fire someone in an easy manner. But I just think the way they went about it going behind his back and doing all this other stuff with Deshaun."

Sharpe also pointed out that the Browns could have offered their quarterback a heads-up about their intentions:

"They could have come to him as a man and said, look, Baker, we are on the open market for a quarterback... If something becomes available, we're probably more than likely going to take that opportunity. They could have handled it like that. They handled it wrong."

He went on:

"And Baker says you know what, just because I'm so ready to move on from this situation, I'm willing to go three and a half, $4 million off my salary. Put that into incentives. I didn't like putting money in incentives because teams can control that and whatever incentive that you were trying to give me."

The Deshaun Watson race covered nobody in glory

Deshaun Watson Press Conference

Among the other teams who reportedly went after Deshaun Watson were the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints, and the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans were adamant they wouldn't trade him within the division to the Colts, and the other two pulled out due to the quarterback's legal issues.

The optics surrounding Deshaun Watson at the moment are entirely negative, with almost no one defending him. Many Cleveland fans were appalled when they landed the quarterback, who recently settled 20 out of 24 of his civil cases. Fans of every franchise that showed an interest were cautious about signing the under-fire quarterback, who still faces four cases of sexual misconduct.

When the Atlanta Falcons showed an interest in Watson, their former starter Matt Ryan became unsettled. He was offended by the team’s move to acquire Watson, but he handled it in a different way to Mayfield. Instead of taking to social media and making his feelings known, he requested a trade behind closed doors. The former NFL MVP signed for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. He takes over from Carson Wentz, who is now with the Washington Commanders.

The New Orleans Saints decided to continue with Jameis Winston, who is returning from a long-term injury in 2022. He will be looking to prove to the franchise that he has what it takes, and will need to deliver if he is to remain their starting quarterback.

With the NFL investigation into Deshaun Watson's accusations nearing a conclusion, a decision on his future will be reached very soon. It will be interesting to see if the quarterback plays in 2022.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Undisputed and H/T Sportskeeda.