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There will be names thrown out in the offseason for the Cleveland Browns to replace Deshaun Watson with. Any significant upgrade would likely be tough, given the Browns’ cap situation, but there are ways to get deals done if the front office does everything in its power to create money.
Will the Browns have $100-plus million to spend? No, but if they could put together a fair offer for any of the top quarterbacks available, and those players sign for less than expected; there’s a chance the Browns could be in a better position under center moving forward.
That’s where someone like Sam Darnold could come into play. Darnold would be an excellent option if his late-season woes hurt his price.
However, in a prediction from an executive with ESPN, they had Darnold landing with the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Some NFL personnel men see a path back to Minnesota for Darnold, who won’t find a better situation to win and maximize his growth than playing under coach Kevin O’Connell while throwing to Justin Jefferson & Co. But the Vikings have the enticing option of starting J.J. McCarthy at a $960,000 rookie-scale salary in 2025, which allows them to strengthen the roster around him for the next few years,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on January 21.
The executive later said that the Raiders need a quarterback and are out of range at No. 6 to draft one, leaving a door open for Darnold.
“At Pick 6, [the Raiders] are out of range for a quarterback unless they move up, which wouldn’t be smart based on the amount of holes they have,” a high-ranking personnel man of an NFL team said. “They need every pick. They have flexibility within the cap to get it done,” the exec said, per Fowler.
What Will Darnold’s Contract Be?
For parts of the season, Darnold looked like a legitimate top-10 quarterback in the NFL. He struggled at the end of the year, and that could play in the Cleveland Browns’ favor.
However, it makes his contract situation a bit more tricky. Had he played well for the entire campaign, he likely would’ve been looking at a massive payday.
Instead, there are questions about that.
Despite the uncertainties, PFF still has him coming home with $123.75 million over three years in their latest prediction.
“The debate surrounding Darnold in the 2025 offseason will likely focus on whether he can be more than just a bridge quarterback. While his raw regular-season stats were impressive — 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — his performance in key areas was more mixed, with 33 big-time throws balanced by 24 turnover-worthy plays,” PFF wrote.
Why The Browns Might Not Land Darnold
Outside of the obvious cap situation the Cleveland Browns would have to figure out, they might not view Darnold as someone worth $123.75 million. With Watson on the roster, too, they’d be paying two quarterbacks a ton of money and still have question marks about whether either is the perfect option.
Nick Shook of NFL.com named the Browns a fit but added that there are reasons for them to be cautious in paying him.
“Darnold’s late-season struggles might scare the Browns off, too. If not, Darnold would fit Stefanski’s offensive approach better than Watson ever has, but Watson’s contract might prevent the Browns from offering the money required to land Darnold — and that’s if they’re sold on him in the first place.
“There’s no telling where Cleveland might turn under center, making such a pairing intriguing. It would be truly hilarious, though, if the Browns turned to Darnold in 2025 after passing on him with the No. 1 overall pick in favor of Baker Mayfield in the 2018 draft,” Shook wrote on January 15.