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The Cleveland Browns do not want to talk about Lamar Jackson’s situation with the Baltimore Ravens, despite taking some criticism stemming from the deal they gave Deshaun Watson last season.
The Browns gave Watson a fully-guaranteed five-year $230 million deal. When the contract was announced, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said it would make quarterback negotiations harder in the future — especially considering that Watson was facing a lengthy suspension after he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.
“I’m trying to answer that when I had a reaction to it. And it’s like, ‘Damn, I wish they hadn’t guaranteed the whole contract,'” Bisciotti said at the NFL league meetings last year. “I don’t know that he should’ve been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract. To me, that’s something that is groundbreaking, and it’ll make negotiations harder with others.”
It has done just that for the Ravens, who have been unable to come to terms with Jackson on an extension. Baltimore placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on the former MVP earlier this offseason but he has requested a trade.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was asked about Jackson but refused to comment.
“We’re focused on the Browns,” Haslam said, per cleveland.com. “We’re focused on winning games for the Browns. I think it would be inappropriate to comment on any other teams or any other team’s players.”
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski had the same response.
“As you can imagine, I’m not going to comment on other teams. I’m going to focus on us,” Stefanski said.
Haslam Has No Regrets Over Watson Contract
The drama with Jackson could turn out to be a positive for the Browns, who would avoid facing him twice a year if he leaves the Ravens. But Haslam maintained that they’re only worried about the Browns and are pleased with how the situation with Watson unfolded.
“Every team, every business, has to look and do what they think is in the best interest of their team,” Haslam said. “We did what we thought was in the best interest of our team. We still feel that way. So, we’re excited to — if you will — have the stuff behind us. This time last year, how many games is he going to play? Is he going to play? Is he not going to play? He’s going to be there the whole season [now] and barring injury, heaven forbid, he’s going to play all 17 games and hopefully more. That I think alone is a bigger leap to the organization, to Deshaun, to all of us.”
While the Browns are hoping for the best going forward, other owners have expressed that they aren’t too happy about how Watson’s contract has shifted negotiations. Colts owner Jim Irsay — a suitor for Jackson — said he doesn’t believe in fully guaranteed contracts.
“As an owner I do not believe in fully-guaranteed contracts,” Irsay said, per The Athletic. “I think that a percentage is one thing, but from what I’ve seen from the NBA and baseball, I don’t see it as a positive competitively.”
Browns Confident Watson Can Find Form
Watson was suspended for 11 games after reaching a settlement with the NFL. He also paid a $5 million fine. When he returned to the field, there was some visible rust thanks to 700 days between starts.
He completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions. The Browns went 3-3 in his starts.
The Browns missed the postseason last season, although there wasn’t much Watson could have done about it. By the time he took over, the Browns were 4-7 and faced an uphill battle.
But Stefanski was pleased by what he saw last season from his QB and has high hopes for Watson.
“I think confidence for me comes from seeing it and I’ve seen him do it,” Stefanski said. “I saw him do it in those games last season. I know it wasn’t perfect. It certainly wasn’t perfect. We weren’t perfect around him and as we all know, it’s not a one-man show.
“It’s a team game and we didn’t have as much team success as we would’ve liked late in the season there. But I’ve seen it from Deshaun in games, I’ve seen it from practice, I’ve seen it in his career. So that’s why I’m confident.”
The Browns got Watson some new weapons this offseason, adding former Jets receiver Elijah Moore via trade in addition to signing his former tight end Jordan Akins and veteran speedster Marquise Goodwin.
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