Browns owner admits team are in a hole after ‘big swing and miss’ on Deshaun Watson

• Team gave controversial QB $230m contract
• Watson has been a disaster on and off the field

Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam has admitted his team’s controversial decision to acquire Deshaun Watson has been a “big swing and miss”.

In 2022, the Browns sent a package that included three first-round picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for the quarterback, who had been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women. The Browns then rewarded Watson, at the time one of the best quarterbacks in the league, with a $230m fully guaranteed contract. Watson never faced criminal charges over the sexual assault allegations but the NFL suspended him for 11 games of the 2022 season after its own investigation.