As the Browns fall to the basement of the AFC North after offseason extensions Andrew Berry And Kevin Stefanskiassign blame Deshaun Watson Decisions will emerge as the organization progresses.

Jimmy Haslam came out and said his GM had prepared the plan Offering Watson a fully guaranteed US$230 million. That contract call led to the point guard waiving his no-trade clause for Cleveland after previously ruling the team out of consideration. More than two years after Haslam’s comments, Berry said the organization had agreed to the move.

Here’s what Berry said when asked two years ago if ownership warranted a Watson trade to cross the bullpen:via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com) “We were all on board.” This is consistent with a recently published report. Stefanski agreed with Berry about trade, leading this Baker Mayfield It left Charlotte, and ultimately the Browns, in a historic predicament.

Watson’s Achilles tear prevented Stefanski from making the decision to bench the high-priced starter, as the fifth-year Browns HC repeatedly said the struggling QB gave the team the best chance to win. Watson ranks last in QBR. When asked if a healthy Watson would play for the Browns again, Berry said:via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com), “This is always possible.” Stefanski refused to confirmLargely due to Watson’s health, the QB would be his starter in 2025.

Berry, who was hired two weeks after Stefanski in 2020, said the two-time Coach of the Year was “part of the solution.” via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. If ownership is to continue despite this Added Berry and Stefanski to overtime (length unknown), it would be unexpected if one stayed and the other went. So Berry’s endorsement may not carry much weight here. At 2-7 and with Watson’s guarantees running through 2026, the Browns’ power duo shouldn’t be considered locks to return in 2025.

The Browns outplayed the Falcons and landed Watson; The Panthers and Saints were also in the hunt as finalists three seasons ago. All teams had agreed to trade terms with the Texans making a historic acquisition for the Pro Bowl QB. Berry has seen his ability to build a roster around Watson take a hit as the Browns have been without a first-round pick since the trade. The Browns become the first team since the 1976 49ers (Jim Plunkett) trading three first-round players for a veteran QB; To say that the deal backfired would be a conservative assessment of the situation.

Watson could not adapt to Stefanski’s offense; Browns’ play drops further despite starting OC Alex Van Pelt for Ken Dorsey this year. Dorsey is starting games in Cleveland now that Stefanski has stepped back for the first time in his tenure, but James Winston — A Watson-powered QB addition – at the controls. When asked if he regretted not bringing it back Joe FlaccoBerry, who repeatedly said he wanted to return after the Comeback Player of the Year campaign, responded (via Easterling) has “a lot of confidence” in the Browns’ current QB room. Flacco, Browns I didn’t offer him a deal.

Berry, who helped build rosters of eight-figure-a-year players, allowed Watson’s contract to be restructured twice; the second of these coming in august. This creates cap space in 2023 and 2024, but there are two monster cap numbers staring at the Browns in 2025 and 2026. Watson will count $72.9 million against Cleveland’s next two payrolls. With eighth year player finalized the last legal caseThe Browns’ chances of being saved by a second personal conduct penalty are diminished. However, the NFL investigation continues.

As of now, the Browns face two more fully guaranteed $46 million base salaries and an inflated salary cap hit from restructurings. Cutting Watson in 2025 would cost the Browns $172 million, and while that would be spread out over two years in a post-June 1 transaction, the sum would cost more than double the current single-player dead money record. RussellWilsonWhere the Broncos are hovering over $83 million in tabs. The fact that Wilson more than doubled his previous single-player record shows how far the Browns are into uncharted territory due to their controversial trade in 2022.

When asked how Watson’s contract would hinder the Browns, Berry said:via Cabot) We will be able to “build a team” regardless of whether this agreement is on the books. Whether Berry makes those decisions will perhaps be Brown’s main story heading into the 2025 season.

While Haslam allowed Berry and Stefanski to expand, the owner was very active in firing HCs and executives during his 13-year tenure. Will Watson decisions sink both Berry and Stefanski (or just one of them), or will ownership show uncharacteristic patience after this season’s significant step back?