The Deshaun Watson trade has rocked the NFL in many ways. After a grand jury in Texas decided against indicting Watson, the Browns won a bidding war to acquire the talented quarterback, and secured the deal with a fully-guaranteed contract for $230 million.
There was already plenty of controversy around any trade for Watson with 22 pending civil lawsuits, but the guaranteed money made the move even more controversial. NFL teams avoid large guarantees, and this contract blew away the guarantees given to other top quarterbacks. The fact that Watson, with all his legal troubles, was the recipient of this contract made it even worse for many. People will have different reactions to the Browns trading for someone saddled with these allegations, but the monetary award made it worse for many fans who felt that the Browns and the NFL were rewarding bad behavior.
But other NFL owners have also been complaining. They know that the Browns have turned the market upside down and that they will ultimately need to consider similar deals if they’re fortunate to land a top-tier quarterback. Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was vocal in his displeasure, not that the Browns or their fans give a damn what the owner of the Ravens thinks about this. The Ravens will have to pay Lamar Jackson, and Browns fans will be happy to see that franchise also saddled with a monster, guaranteed contract, as most Browns fans see Jackson as a more limited quarterback than Watson.
And that leads us to the real issue here. The game in the NFL has been changing as the rules make it easier and easier for elite quarterbacks to dominate the game. Sure, defenses can still make a difference, but a team’s chances of winning a Super Bowl are very low without one of the 8 – 10 elite quarterbacks in the game.
With mandatory minicamps underway around the NFL and the start of training camp less than two months away, there are numerous questions looming around the league. Let’s take a look at some of the top questions.
Around the league, the biggest obsession is the quarterback play. Surely the rookies will get extended looks, but the status of those coming back from injuries, as well as battles for the starting position will be under major observation.
The NFL season kicks off tonight with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs taking on DeShaun Watson and the Houston Texans. It’s a battle of two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league so this one should be fun. Can the defending champs cover a big line tonight?
You can see all the current NFL lines here and also check out the video above. One of many interesting games has Miami getting 6.5 points on the road against New England. The key here is that Miami is an up-and-coming team, while New England starts the post-Tom Brady era. Cam Newton gets the nod, and that would not make me feel comfortable about laying down the points.
Is everyone over those stories about the NFL being in decline? Sure, they had some serious controversies last year with the protests, and the NBA was on fire with the Cavs – Warriors battles. College football also created quite a buzz with their new playoff as well starting in 2014.
But suddenly we’ve seen the ratings do a u-turn. NFL ratings are back up again this year, while the NBA is suddenly dipping as the Lebron James versus the Warriors story starts to get old. Superteams are good for a sport . . . but only for a while. Aren’t you sick of the Warriors stockpiling all stars? Meanwhile, the College Football Playoff has lost a little of its luster with Alabama and Clemson being annual locks to play in the final four.
Who anointed Bill O’Brien as a quarterback guru? Sure, he coached Tom Brady in his prime, but wouldn’t Brady make any quarterback coach and offensive coordinator look good?
O’Brien’s track record in Houston with his quarterbacks is an embarrassment, and things took a turn for the worse on opening day as he benched his starter for the second time in three years on opening day. What a joke . . .
And now they’re throwing Deshaun Watson into the fire on Thursday night against the Bengals behind their miserable offensive line. Watson may be better than Tom Savage, but he’s a rookie with a weak arm and was probably overdrafted due to his incredible college career.
This looks like an impending disaster, and Browns fans can rejoice as they have the first two Texans draft picks in 2018!
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