Former Browns executive addresses who was responsible for disastrous Deshaun Watson trade

Recently hired Colorado Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta was serving as the Cleveland Browns' chief strategy officer when the Browns acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022. 

The deal to land Watson could go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. For a piece published on Monday night, DePodesta spoke with Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post about the trade that continues to affect the Browns to this day. 

Who within the Browns is to blame for the disastrous Deshaun Watson trade?

"Here's what I would say, and I truly believe this," DePodesta said about the trade. "I believe that most of the decisions, especially the big ones like that, are organizational decisions, right?  I'm not a believer in the 'King Scout' situation where there is one guy who makes every call. ...The jobs are too complex, the decisions are too hard. They impact too many different things. So I always think these sort of collective decisions, it can be hard to get unanimous (opinions) on those types of things.  Everyone who was a part of that? We all own that. We just do, that's part of the deal."

During the 2021 NFL season, then-Cleveland QB1 Baker Mayfield suffered a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder in Week 2 that impacted his play throughout the fall. Additionally, reports surfaced suggesting that his relationship with head coach Kevin Stefanski declined during the campaign. People "close to Mayfield" later wondered if the Browns let him play while injured because Cleveland wanted "to more easily explain why it might be moving on from him in the offseason." 

In March 2022, the Browns sent three first-round picks and other draft assets to the Texans for Watson and a 2024 sixth-rounder. As part of the trade, Cleveland signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract. 

Watson has since made just 19 regular-season starts for the Browns, and he hasn't played since he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in October 2024. It's unclear if he'll ever take another meaningful snap for the club.

Browns fans want someone to blame for the Deshaun Watson trade

This past offseason, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam accepted blame for the Watson trade and admitted the club "took a big swing and miss" with how Cleveland replaced Mayfield. It certainly sounds like Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry also must "own" that decision. 

The Browns have gone 5-21 since the start of the 2024 season under Stefanski and Berry. Thus, it's easy to understand why pockets of Cleveland fans hope those two will soon follow DePodesta out the door.