After a long, year-plus wait, Deshaun Watson was traded out of Houston.
Of all teams, no one thought the Cleveland Browns would be the ones who landed Deshaun Watson. Instead, they did it with a historic contract offer and a bevy of draft picks. The discussion of the optics of the trade and contract are outside the scope of this article; this will look solely at the who gained and lost the most from Watson’s trade.
There are a handful of teams involved in this, whether directly or indirectly. Houston drafted Davis Mills in the third round last year, so how will his chance to show he’s a franchise quarterback play out? Will the AFC South be the Texans’ to win with more draft picks in the upcoming future?
The Browns have their own situation to figure out with Baker Mayfield still on the roster, with a trade very likely to happen. Let’s get into the list, starting with our third-biggest loser:
The third biggest loser from the Deshaun Watson trade: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have not had a good run with quarterbacks since Matt Rhule got the job in Carolina. Sam Darnold, Cam Newton, who was past his prime, and Teddy Bridgewater were enough for anyone to say “oof.”
Unless the Panthers are going to trade for anyone else, then it looks like their play of subpar quarterbacks is going to continue. When one adds in the fact that Carolina was the lone team that stuck around from the very beginning and had high hopes to get the trade done, it makes one wonder how much of their offseason they held up for Watson.
Good luck, Panthers. You’re going to need it.
Second-biggest loser: Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints offense
When the Denver Broncos and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett traded for Russell Wilson, that’s an incredible way to start your new head coaching gig. Dennis Allen, New Orleans’ new head coach, isn’t going to get that. Instead, being stuck with Taysom Hill and Ian Book, who struggled last year, will make life more complicated.
Did I mention that Tom Brady is coming back? Yes, the Saints swept them in 2021. But where they sit in the draft could make getting one of the top quarterbacks (albeit in a weak class) very tough. Jameis Winston could return after suffering a season-ending injury, but he is currently an unrestricted free agent.
Third-biggest winner in the Deshaun Watson trade: Lovie Smith
Lovie Smith saw Mills’s promise in him during his rookie campaign last season. Now with three extra first-round picks, it should not only give him a better offense for this year alone but also more job security.
Texans fans shouldn’t fret over the chance of Josh McCown coming and being the head coach within the next two years with compensation like that. This is setting up to be a pretty bright scenario for Smith, especially if he can take advantage of the weakened AFC South.
Second-biggest winner: Davis Mills
Mills withstood an entire year of trade talks and proposals, and nobody knew if a quarterback would come with the trade compensation. Mills also played to the best of his ability despite a terrible roster. Now armed with Pep Hamilton as his offensive coordinator and an offense that’s bound to improve, Mills can take a deep breath and finally move on.
Mills also gets another season with Brandin Cooks. If 2022 can go well for these two, maybe Cooks will stay in Houston and continue to serve as the team’s top receiver.
The biggest loser in the Deshaun Watson trade: Baker Mayfield
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After the Browns went for Watson in an unconventional way, Mayfield was ready for his departure from Cleveland. Then he wasn’t, and then the trade actually happened. It was a whirlwind that now has Mayfield looking at Indianapolis or Seattle as his new home(s).
Mayfield also took the Browns from winless to into their first playoff berth and victory in ages, and when they laid the smackdown on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 wildcard, it was thought to be the new standard.
Unfortunately, Mayfield’s career has been inconsistent in terms of his performance and availability. We’ll see if they improve when he arrives at his next team.
The biggest winner in the Deshaun Watson trade: Nick Caserio
Nick Caserio took over one of the worst teams in the league last year, and after going through their first year with David Culley and getting rid of a handful of players from the previous regime. Caserio took a lot of heat for trying to get as much as he could for Watson when it looked like a trade wasn’t possible.
Getting three first-rounders is historic in compensation, and Caserio got Watson out of town and Cleveland to take a monstrous deal. What’s not to like? Caserio can only fail on this trade if the draft choices he makes end up being busts.
This is the situation Caserio wanted, and now he has it. It’s time to perform and start changing this franchise.