Wait a minute, this is a Browns blog why are you writing about the soon to be former Ravens quarterback? It seems the Browns giving their franchise quarterback a fully guaranteed contract has caused a disturbance in the NFL force. First of all, any pain caused by the Browns to other AFC north teams, especially the Ravens is a good thing. And any complications to the league because of the Browns is also a good thing. My thoughts and prayers to Baltimore fans and NFL owners.
For years Browns fans were told the Ravens were a well-run organization, while, because of the hole the league placed the Browns in in 1999, Cleveland was always dysfunctional. There were years when I thought they were worse than dysfunctional. During 1-31, dysfunctional would have been an improvement. But now the league owners are blaming the Browns for doing something that if the other 31 teams had an opportunity to do, they would have done it. Just a reminder, 13 teams inquired about Deshaun Watson and the final four teams (Saints, Falcons, Panthers & Browns) all offered the same contract. Only Cleveland guaranteed the money. If the Cowboys or the Patriots had done the same thing, they would have been lauded as trail blazers and smart, well-run franchises. I don’t blame owner Jimmy Haslam for wanting a big upgrade at quarterback and doing what was necessary to build a winning team. I want the Browns to win as well. Hell, I’m not getting any younger.
The Ravens had the opportunity to extend Jackson prior to this year. The Buffalo Bills (well-run organization) picked up Josh Allen’s fifth-year option in May of 2021 and on August 6, 2021, gave him a six-year contract worth up to $258 million with $150 million guaranteed. The current Browns front office tries to extend their core players before they hit their final year. Chubb, Garrett, Teller, Bitonio, Njoku, Ward and Conklin are just a few examples. The Ravens (not a well-run organization) had the opportunity prior to the Watson contract. Ravens’ fans will argue that Jackson seems to get injured at the worst time, late in the season. Yes, his last full season was 2019, however that was the year he won the MVP. Fans say he’s a running quarterback. Have you seen Josh Allen and Partick Mahomes?
In summary, according to everyone, except Browns fans, this all Cleveland’s fault. Yep, and I’m loving every minute of it. Karma baby, karma.
One final note, I’m joining the Fanatical Elfz Network podcast (http://@ElfzNetwork) as a regular contributor. This will transition into my own podcast on the same network. I’ll still write my blog (Dawgpoundsouth – A blog about the Cleveland Browns) and continue to write articles for https://clesportstalk.com/. This is great opportunity to talk even more about the Browns.