Updated
Updated · New York Post · Aug 27
Griffin Says Browns Started Watson for $230 Million, Not 5-of-12 Preseason Form
Updated
Updated · New York Post · Aug 27

Griffin Says Browns Started Watson for $230 Million, Not 5-of-12 Preseason Form

1 articles · Updated · New York Post · Aug 27

Summary

  • Robert Griffin III said Deshaun Watson kept Cleveland's starting quarterback job because of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract, not because coaches preferred him.
  • Watson was booed after going 5 of 12 for 36 yards with an interception in a preseason game, then said his rift with Browns fans had turned personal after they cheered his Achilles injury last season.
  • Griffin argued owner Jimmy Haslam's earlier admission that the Watson deal was a "huge swing and a miss" points to ownership and executives driving the decision rather than coach Todd Monken.
  • He contrasted Monken's terse comments on Watson with praise for Shedeur Sanders, saying the second-year quarterback has developed quickly and could get a chance if Watson struggles again.

Insights

Will Cleveland's unprecedented $127 million dead money trap ultimately fracture the locker room if Deshaun Watson keeps failing?
Could a historic $230 million contract force an NFL team to bench a rising rookie for a struggling veteran?