The Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants appear to have little in common.
Two opposing franchises linked by same issues
One is a legendary, multi-Super Bowl-winning organization with household names like Chris Simms, Eli Manning, and Lawrence Taylor; the other is a serial loser for the last three decades, whose last moments of true glory came in the 1960s with former three-time MVP Jim Brown, now an octogenarian.
However, they are both bonded by their mutual unhappiness with their respective highly paid, and for different reasons, contentious quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson & Daniel Jones
Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones are both not meeting expectations.
Deshaun Watson signed a $230 million, fully guaranteed deal in 2022 after being cleared in criminal court of many sexual misconduct allegations.
Daniel Jones, a former first-round choice, performed considerably below par in an injury-plagued year after receiving an eye-catching four-year, $160 million contract last offseason after leading the New York Giants to their first postseason win since their Super Bowl-winning 2011 season.
As a result, Mike Tannenbaum, former New York Jets GM and current ESPN pundit, has advocated a trade between the two organizations trapped in moderate quarterback limbo, despite the late-season resurgence of 39-year-old Joe Flacco, according to ESPN Cleveland.
Would a Watson-Jones trade benefit both the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants?
According to Tannenbaum, the Giants are incentivized to be in ‘win now’ mindset, which might entice both sides to make this swap.
“They need to win right now, and Daniel Jones won’t bring them there.
It becomes more problematic due to what has occurred and the money. But honestly, if you’re Cleveland, you’ve created a circumstance in which Deshaun Watson — if you can convert him into Tee Higgins or Chris Jones, you’ll be significantly enhancing your football team. And because of what you’ve accomplished as a quarterback, you have tremendous versatility.”
For Cleveland, on the other hand, the Joe Flacco experience shown that the Browns do not always require their former All-Star quarterback to win, particularly after his two unsuccessful seasons in Ohio.
Although Daniel Jones is unlikely to be an upgrade over Watson, he will almost surely cost the Browns less than Watson.
Whereas, for the Giants, signing Watson’s hefty contract at least provides the possibility, however remote, that they will finally have a true franchise quarterback, assuming Watson can recover his old Houston Texans form in Big Blue.
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