Is Cleveland fine with missing the playoffs or failing to win a Super Bowl in 2025? Why? Let’s rewind a bit. In March 2022, the franchise pulled the trigger on acquiring Deshaun Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick from the Houston Texans. In return, they gave up three first-round picks (2022–24), a third-rounder in 2023, and two fourth-round selections (2022, 2024). Owner Jimmy Haslam believed in Watson, but alas, his faith took three years to unravel. Now, with another opportunity in the 2025 NFL Draft, is the organization ready to address its issues?

Maybe that could be the answer! But to everyone’s surprise, this time, Jimmy Haslam isn’t taking any chances to commit another mistake. Instead, he is ready to give the team a chance to think carefully at the draft in April. Does that mean they are not aiming to win?

For Jimmy Haslam and the team, their priorities are just the draft, that too, by avoiding a forcible decision. According to Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot on X, Jimmy Haslam said, “We’re not going to force a QB at No. 2; GM Andrew Berry must ‘nail’ this draft.” That’s correct.

Talking more about it, the owner said, “If you had the No. 1 pick, you could say, ‘OK, we know what we’re going to do. When you’re No. 2, you don’t control your own destiny. I think Andrew told you all last night that he did not see us trading up. So it would be great if we could get the quarterback, but we’re not going to force it. We’re going to be patient, and we’re going to try to accumulate as many really good football players as we can.” So, Jimmy Haslam isn’t chasing ghosts.

The Browns won’t force a quarterback pick unless they truly believe in him. If Shedeur Sanders is their guy at No. 2, they’ll take him. If not, they’ll pass and maybe grab a developmental QB later. That’s the reason Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski are in no rush. They’ll take every second until draft day to make the right call. That’s because the owner needs good footballers!

During the same interview on Monday, Jimmy Haslam said, “I think the message is if the right person’s there, we’re going to take him (Sanders). If not, we’ll figure it out for a year or two until we get the right person. And I just keep (saying), we need good football players. There are good football players in this draft and we’ve got to make sure we get the right ones for us.” They need to figure out that fast.

On Thursday, the coach and GM are flying to Colorado to see Sanders and his dynamic target, Travis Hunter. In fact, a dinner with Sanders is on the schedule, but that doesn’t mean he’s locked in. Everything looks good so far, but nothing is certain. So, if you are hoping for a quarterback at No. 2, don’t get ahead of yourselves just yet. Because this time, Jimmy Haslam and the franchise do not want to repeat their mistake at quarterback.

Jimmy Haslam finally accepted his biggest mistake on Deshaun Watson!

It took 3 years to realize what was wrong in the team. Not only did Jimmy Haslam and the franchise decide to trade for Deshaun Watson, they also committed a mistake by handing the QB a massive amount. Surprisingly, they signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal. And did you know? That deal was the largest amount of guaranteed money in NFL history at the time. But the result?

Watson has played just 19 games in three seasons, winning only nine of them. By record, he has thrown for 3,365 yards for 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. A lot of injuries, such as a torn rotator cuff and torn Achilles, cost Deshaun Watson many games. Hence, talking about the mistake of trading Watson and paying him a huge salary, on Monday, Jimmy Haslam admitted his and his team’s fault.

The owner said, “We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun. We thought we had the quarterback, but we didn’t, and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. [The trade] was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”

Ultimately, Jimmy Haslam can only stand by and watch as his team tries to climb out of the mess they created. The Browns went all in, and it backfired. Now, they’re paying the price – lost draft picks, drained cap space, and a future that suddenly looks uncertain. Fixing this won’t be easy!