The Deshaun Watson trade was a significant National Football League trade made on March 18, 2022, centered on sending quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns. The quarterback and a Texans 2024 sixth round selection was exchanged for Cleveland's 2022 first and fourth round selections, 2023 first and third round selections, and 2024 first and fourth round selections.[1]
The trade and ensuing contract guaranteeing Deshaun Watson $230 million is currently considered by many sports media outlets and analysts as one of, if not the worst trade in the history of the NFL on the Browns' side.[2][3][4][5][6] This is in part due to the severe lopsidedness of the first round picks granted to the Texans that were used to draft several Pro-bowlers and starting players including Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. paired with Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C. J. Stroud, relative to Deshaun Watson's repeated season-ending injuries and worse-than-expected quarterback play while healthy. The trade was also considered among the worst trades due to it occurring in the midst of a series of sexual assault lawsuits filed against Watson, with many outlets describing the trade as bringing significant PR baggage to the Cleveland Browns franchise and making it and its organization much more difficult to support on an ethical basis.[2][5][6]