Cleveland Browns

The trials for the civil lawsuits Deshaun Watson is facing are reportedly expected to be moved to 2023.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports cited "two sources familiar with communications between attorneys" Tony Buzbee, who is representing the 22 women suing the Cleveland Browns quarterback for alleged sexual assault and misconduct, and Rusty Hardin, who is representing Watson, who said the expectation is the trial proceedings will not happen until next year.

The two attorneys previously agreed to a moratorium on cases between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 1, 2023, which would encompass the upcoming NFL season.

Given the agreed-upon moratorium, the reported inability to reach an agreement on other issues such as which suit will be heard first, and the amount of discovery remaining plus Watson's scheduled depositions, the timing appears to be headed toward 2023 for the trials.

Robinson noted the biggest remaining issue when it comes to ironing out the timing is the reality that "the manner of presentation in the cases could make the trials significantly longer than expected."

If Buzbee introduces evidence from multiple allegations for individual proceedings, Hardin would then have the chance to respond to each allegation in a back-and-forth that one source said could "stretch out a trial six to eight weeks."

That is a significant time commitment if all or even most of the 22 cases end up in trial.

Multiple grand juries ruled in March that Watson would not be indicted on criminal charges. Trade discussion picked up after the first ruling, and the Houston Texans eventually moved Watson to the Browns, who then signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

While Watson is not facing criminal charges, the NFL is still investigating and could suspend him under its personal conduct policy ahead of the 2022 season.

League officials are expected to meet with him this week, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.    

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is taking the offense to the Bahamas for offseason workouts and chemistry-building, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports.

"I'm told Browns QB Deshaun Watson is treating the offense to the Bahamas this weekend," Anderson wrote. "The trip is for team-building and football chemistry as Watson has also secured a field there to continue offseason workouts."

The Browns acquired Watson via trade with the Houston Texans on March 18. They sent their first-round draft picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to Houston as part of the deal.

Watson is going through his first offseason as a Brown while there are 22 active civil lawsuits from women against him alleging sexual assault, harassment or misconduct during massage therapy sessions in 2020 and 2021.

After the 2020 campaign, Watson made a trade request in January 2021. Two months later, news of the first civil lawsuit broke. Watson sat the entire season amid the trade request and civil lawsuits. In March, two grand juries in Texas declined to indict him following criminal complaints regarding the sexual misconduct allegations.

The ex-Clemson Tiger denied the allegations in his introductory Browns press conference.

"I know these allegations [are] very, very serious," Watson told reporters. "But I've never assaulted any woman. I never disrespected any woman."

The NFL is conducting an investigation into the matter and can punish Watson if it finds him in violation of its personal conduct policy. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in late March that there is no timetable for a decision on the matter.

However, Anderson also reported Monday that the NFL plans to speak with Watson in Texas this week.

As for now, the three-time Pro Bowler is taking over a 8-9 Browns team that will look far different on offense because of numerous personnel moves.

Cleveland traded for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper and drafted Purdue wideout David Bell, who could be starting in the slot. Tight end Austin Hooper was released, and David Njoku figures to get his shot as the true TE1. Nick Harris is also set to start at center after the release of JC Tretter.

The biggest change is moving from Baker Mayfield to Watson at quarterback. The new signal-caller faces some challenges taking over a team with a lot of new players, so the Bahamas trip seems like a solution to build some chemistry before their season starts Sept. 11 versus the Carolina Panthers.

The Cleveland Browns and Baker Mayfield may have to sit tight for another month.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show that he doesn't "get the sense there'll be anything Baker until maybe June at the earliest." 

There was a line of thinking that Mayfield's trade market might heat up a bit after the draft. The most quarterback-needy teams that didn't select one very high might turn their sights to a veteran signal-caller such as Mayfield

The opposite might have come true instead.

The Atlanta Falcons (Desmond Ridder), Tennessee Titans (Malik Willis) and Carolina Panthers (Matt Corral) all took a QB in the third round. The Panthers in particular looked like a logical landing spot.

The same could be said of the Seattle Seahawks—the team Mayfield called "probably the most likely option." Although Seattle didn't target a quarterback, Rapoport described the team's interest as "lukewarm at best" as the draft was concluding.

ESPN's Dianna Russini also reported Tuesday on The Ryen Russillo Podcast that the Seahawks "have been telling me from Day 1 they have no interest in Baker Mayfield."

Perhaps that stance is all about maintaining some leverage on the Browns so that they're willing to eat a portion of his $18.9 million salary for 2022. Maybe Seattle is willing to wait even longer to see whether Cleveland waves the white flag together and cuts him outright.

In general, Rapoport explained this saga could drag out for a long time because there aren't any more clear deadlines between now and the start of the regular season.

Sure, getting Mayfield into camp as early as possible is good, but there isn't a significant difference between executing a trade now and waiting until July or August.

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson could've earned up to $750,000 in bonuses under the terms of the team's "Four Year Plan," according to Sports Illustrated's Gary Gramling and Conor Orr.

In February, Jackson said on SportsCenter that the Browns had outlined a long-term plan that "did not talk about winning and losing until Year 3 and 4." He alleged Cleveland incentivized tanking in the first two years.

The NFL issued a statement Monday following an investigation into the allegations.

"The investigation found no evidence to suggest that the Browns' Four-Year Plan or the club's ownership or football personnel sought to lose or incentivized losses and made no decisions to deliberately weaken the team to secure a more favorable draft position," the league said.

Per Gramling and Orr, the first two years of the "Four Year Plan" tied bonuses to goals that were clearly laying the foundation for the next two years.

In 2016, for example, making at least 11 picks—five within the first three rounds—was a target, as well as ranking in the bottom quarter of the league in salary cap carryover. By 2017, the staff was incentivized to have at least 10 total picks and four in the first three rounds.

It wasn't until 2018 that the "Four Year Plan" set winning 10 games and finishing second or better in the AFC North as benchmarks.

Gramling and Orr explained why Jackson might not have been on board with the idea:

While draft capital accrued and percentage of cap carried over are appropriate goals for a personnel department, it is unusual to reward the coach for those categories—not only are they out of his control, but those goals stand in opposition to every NFL coach's baseline goal, which is to win as many games as possible. Very simply, the more a team loses, the higher its picks, and therefore the more draft capital it can accrue. And the less money is spent on the roster, the fewer good players there are.

The report also quoted a coaching agent who said their response would be, "Holy s--t, this is, like, a tank bonus," if they had seen a similar plan in the course of their job.

The Browns went 1-31 in Jackson's first two years. He was fired midway through the 2018 season following a 2-5-1 start.

He came forward with his allegations after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams, alleging discriminatory practices. As part of his suit, he said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every game the Dolphins lost in 2019, which Ross subsequently denied.

The Cleveland Browns are hiring Philadelphia Eagles vice president of football operations Catherine Raiche, according to USA Today's Jori Epstein.

While Raiche's full title is unclear, Epstein reported she'll have "assistant GM-like responsibilities" with Cleveland. She previously worked with Browns general manager Andrew Berry in Philadelphia's front office.

The franchise had yet to fill the vacancy left by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was an assistant to Berry, when he took over as GM of the Minnesota Vikings earlier in the offseason.

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot wrote that Raiche "might not receive the title of assistant GM unless necessary to pry her away from the Eagles." Cabot also noted she's "already the current highest-ranking female personnel executive in the NFL."

Raiche, who's a native of Montreal, began her career in 2015 as the coordinator of football administration for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. She became the Alouettes' assistant GM in 2017 before moving on to the Toronto Argonauts, for whom she was the director of football administration, in 2018.

The Eagles hired Raiche for their football operations department in 2019 and promoted her to her most recent role ahead of the 2021 season. The team said she was "involved in all areas of football operations and player personnel, including pro and college scouting, contract management, player/staff development, and football research."

After an offseason of quarterback news and movement, one of the biggest remaining storylines is where Baker Mayfield ends up.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah thinks the New York Giants might make some sense as a potential destination.

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Jeremiah pointed out the team didn't pick up the fifth-year option on Daniel Jones' contract. He also suggested "you can make a strong case he can win that job" when discussing Mayfield's prospects against the incumbent signal-caller.

One thing to consider, though, is that the Giants are entering the 2022 campaign with a first-year head coach in Brian Daboll and a first-year general manager in Joe Schoen.

They are juggling plenty as the franchise looks to revamp itself after five straight losing campaigns, and a quarterback competition between Mayfield, Jones and even Tyrod Taylor may not be all that appealing.

Teams such as the Giants, Seattle Seahawks or Carolina Panthers could use upgrades under center but chose not to trade for Mayfield during the NFL draft. It figured to be a logical time to do so if they were going to aquire him since they could land draft capital in return, but he still remains a member of the Cleveland Browns.

ESPN's Dianna Russini appeared on The Ryen Russillo Podcast and reported the Seahawks "have no interest in Baker Mayfield."

She also suggested the Browns want to completely remove Mayfield's contract that is set to pay him $18.9 million during the 2022 season from their books in any trade and are not interested in splitting the cost with a possible suitor.

That could deter teams from pursuing him, especially since there are health concerns and questions about his performance after he threw for a career-worst 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions in 2021.  

Still, Jones is just 12-25 as a starter and didn't inspire enough confidence for the Giants to pick up his fifth-year option. Mayfield could be an improvement in the Big Apple in a division that featured just one team with more than nine wins in 2021.

Perhaps New York will make a move after other teams chose not to during the draft.         

The 2022 NFL draft is over, but the Baker Mayfield saga is not.

While a split has seemed inevitable since the Cleveland Browns added Deshaun Watson in March, Mayfield remains a member of the only NFL team he has ever known.

ESPN's Dianna Russini appeared on The Ryen Russillo Podcast on Tuesday and reported the Browns are still looking to move his contract.

Mayfield is set to make $18.9 million during the 2022 campaign before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023. That is a hefty price to pay even for one season of an inconsistent quarterback, and Cleveland wants to shed it in any potential trade.

"The Cleveland Browns do not want to take on that contract," Russini said. "They don't want to pay for that. I don't know the number they're willing to go to—but the last I checked, which was about a week-and-a-half ago—they want nothing to do with that deal. If you want Baker Mayfield, you're going to pay that money. Cleveland's not going to try to split it up with you."

The Seattle Seahawks were speculated as a possible destination for Mayfield at one time, considering they traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos this offseason, but they no longer seem like a landing spot.

"The Seahawks have been telling me from Day 1 they have no interest in Baker Mayfield," Russini said. "They're riding Drew Lock, which we can talk about that another time. That's their choice."

Lock hasn't exactly been an All-Pro during his career, seeing as how he is 8-13 as a starter since the Broncos selected him with a second-round pick in 2019. He led the league with 15 interceptions in just 13 games in 2020 and was 0-3 in three starts last year.

He went to the Seahawks as part of the Wilson trade, and they are apparently willing to see if he can turn things around in 2022.

As for Mayfield, finding a trade partner may be exceedingly difficult if the Browns aren't willing to split up the contract.

The Cleveland Browns announced Monday they signed former Texas Tech basketball player Marcus Santos-Silva.

Santos-Silva averaged 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds between his five years with the Red Raiders and VCU.

The 6'7" forward will have quite the adjustment. According to the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich, he hasn't played organized football since the start of high school.

Antonio Gates remains the gold standard for collegiate basketball players looking to ply their trade in the NFL. Despite not playing a single down in college, he went on to be one of the greatest tight ends of his generation.

Considering he'll turn 25 in June, Santos-Silva is a little older than most incoming rookies, and that won't do him many favors given his road ahead. Gates, by comparison, was 23 in his first year.

Perhaps Santos-Silva can carve out a role as a backup tight end behind David Njoku and Harrison Bryant on the depth chart.