Post Mortem on the Watson Trade (from Albert Breer)

[Mr. Scot]

With some of the sourcing on this coming from Watson's camp, I don't doubt that they're going to try and paint him in the best light possible. With that said, the story still acknowledges it was the money that sealed the deal.

What honestly gets me the most about the story though is that there's so little mention of the Panthers. They were only referenced twice in the entire thing. Even with the focus being on the Browns, the Falcons and Saints are at least talked about more than just twice.

It comes off like the Panthers were never really that big a consideration.

[BrewerHouseBeer]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

With some of the sourcing on this coming from Watson's camp, I don't doubt that they're going to try and paint him in the best light possible. With that said, the story still acknowledges it was the money that sealed the deal.

What honestly gets me the most about the story though is that there's so little mention of the Panthers. They were only referenced twice in the entire thing. Even with the focus being on the Browns, the Falcons and Saints are at least talked about more than just twice.

It comes off like the Panthers were never really that big a consideration.

I think he knew the Panthers were desperate and he and Houston were using us to drive up the demand. 

[carpanfan96]

If the leaks are correct about them reaching back out to the Panthers and asking for the guaranteed contract, he gave Carolina a shot to get him. 

[Mr. Scot]

6 minutes ago, carpanfan96 said:

If the leaks are correct about them reaching back out to the Panthers and asking for the guaranteed contract, he gave Carolina a shot to get him. 

Story was that he eliminated us shortly after finding out we wouldn't guarantee the contract.

Seems like that was the only thing that might have drawn him here.

[carpanfan96]

1 minute ago, Mr. Scot said:

Story was that he eliminated us shortly after finding out we wouldn't guarantee the contract.

Seems like that was the only thing that might have drawn him here.

I think that was a stipulation for any team that got him. Protects him against suspension.  Glad we didn't do it though cause that's insane 

[PantherOnTheProwl1523]

After Browns acquired Watson there was negativity from a woman business owner in Cleveland.

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, carpanfan96 said:

I think that was a stipulation for any team that got him. Protects him against suspension.  Glad we didn't do it though cause that's insane 

There's an old saying that you win by doing what others won't.

If we're talking about hard work, that's a good thing.

Other times, not so much

[onmyown]

6 hours ago, BrewerHouseBeer said:

I'm calling BS on most of this article. He went to the team that threw the most money at him and it's probably just that simple. You want to leave Houston because it's a poorly run franchise, so you decide to go to Cleveland?

Yea he’s fleecing the NFL. He didn’t care about winning by turning down better teams and didn’t care about being close to home doing the same thing. He cared about money and a middle finger to the NFL. Only the Browns would fall for it lol, this is gonna be bad.

 

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, PantherOnTheProwl1523 said:

After Browns acquired Watson there was negativity from a woman business owner in Cleveland.

Donations to rape crisis centers in Cleveland are through the roof.

[rayzor]

7 hours ago, Pakmeng said:

It is interesting to see the changes of heart so quickly regarding Watson among Panther fans. We were gung ho one day and relieved the next. As if many had not considered the reality of the situation for over a year in terms of risk until they saw the tangible contract and trade it took to acquire him.

 

1 hour ago, fjblair said:

There were many of us who were against the Watson trade. Lots of us.

Yeah I wasn't crazy about it. I have said many times I didn't want us trading for anyone this year. We wasted too much capital on trades last year and we need to wait until we've paid for all that. 

I really didn't like how much it was going to cost to get him. Already being in a hole, we'd just be digging a bigger one. 

And then there was the legal/sexual misconduct stuff. Too many questions there and considering how much it was going to cost to get him, it's just made the risk even greater.

Point being, I didn't want to trade for him. And there were quite a few others who didn't either. 

[Sgt Schultz]

25 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Story was that he eliminated us shortly after finding out we wouldn't guarantee the contract.

Seems like that was the only thing that might have drawn him here.

I noticed that we were only mentioned in passing twice.  It's like we were in the room in case everybody let the room and refused to come back.  Count me on the side that thinks not even coming close to competing with what he ultimately got is a good thing.

I'm not as cynical as some others (which is rare for me) that is was all about the money.  At some point the dollar figures all look the same.  I believe the reason he originally is reported to have eliminated Cleveland are probably true.  Given the years of futility and the fact the weather sucks, it would not be high on anybody's list.  Except, looking at the "final four" they are the best overall roster.  They underperformed some last year, but that division is almost completely upside-down from where it was a year or two ago.

The final straw was the money, specifically the guaranteed money.  The Browns think they are close enough to go all-in.  I think, history aside, they are the best team on paper, probably the best coaching staff (at least for now), and offered him the best deal.

Like many, I was not in favor of us getting in that horse race for a variety of reasons.  Strictly football, we still have a lot of holes to fill (more than we do now that it is a week later) and probably would have had nearly zero ability to fill them.  We have even less draft capital than the other three teams thanks to the Darnold trade and assorted other deals. 

[rippadonn]

 He wanted to win Super Bowls. And after spending a full season on the sidelines, as much as he liked the long-term plans of every team he met with, he didn’t want to wait to get to work on all of those things.

The best place for that? A place he’d eliminated—because it was far from home, and because he’d only actually been to Cleveland once, for a rain-soaked, wind-swept, 10–7 Texans loss to the Browns in November 2020. So he instructed his agent, David Mulugheta, to call Browns GM Andrew Berry back. That was midday Friday, and by sundown Watson would be Ohio-bound

 

 

That was the most BS part of the article! Cleveland?! Superbowl? That last happen in the sixties dude, 1965.

Panthers have been there twice since 2003.

These media hype jobs are really twisting some impressionable noodles.

Edited March 22, 2022 by rippadonn

[WestPanthers]

Yada yada yada..........but by end of the day, Money talks~

[Mr. Scot]

35 minutes ago, Sgt Schultz said:

I noticed that we were only mentioned in passing twice.  It's like we were in the room in case everybody let the room and refused to come back.  Count me on the side that thinks not even coming close to competing with what he ultimately got is a good thing.

I'm not as cynical as some others (which is rare for me) that is was all about the money.  At some point the dollar figures all look the same.  I believe the reason he originally is reported to have eliminated Cleveland are probably true.  Given the years of futility and the fact the weather sucks, it would not be high on anybody's list.  Except, looking at the "final four" they are the best overall roster.  They underperformed some last year, but that division is almost completely upside-down from where it was a year or two ago.

The final straw was the money, specifically the guaranteed money.  The Browns think they are close enough to go all-in.  I think, history aside, they are the best team on paper, probably the best coaching staff (at least for now), and offered him the best deal.

Like many, I was not in favor of us getting in that horse race for a variety of reasons.  Strictly football, we still have a lot of holes to fill (more than we do now that it is a week later) and probably would have had nearly zero ability to fill them.  We have even less draft capital than the other three teams thanks to the Darnold trade and assorted other deals. 

And that after basically chasing him for a year.

It's all pretty embarrassing.