The Cleveland Browns sent a shock wave through the NFL world on Thursday afternoon when they came out of nowhere and traded for Houston Texans $72 million quarterback Brock Osweiler.
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The Browns' trade for Brock Osweiler was the one of the 'most creative' trades in NFL history and it looks like a genius move
By taking on Brock Osweiler's big contract in a trade with the Texans, the Cleveland Browns have effectively bought themselves a second-round pick.
ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the details of the trade, which are unlike what we usually see in the NFL. In fact, the logistics of the agreement look a lot more like something we'd typically see in the NBA.
And, upon closer inspection, it's a brilliant move for the Browns.
According to Schefter, the Texans really wanted to part ways with Osweiler, who struggled mightily during his first season in Houston and was on the books for approximately $18 million this year. Enter Cleveland, who began the start of the new NFL year with roughly $100 million in cap space. With money to spend, the Browns offered to take Osweiler's contract off the Texans' shoulders if the Texans also sent them a sixth-round pick this year and, even better, a second-round draft pick in 2018. The Texans said yes.
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Here's how Schefter explained it:
That said, Osweiler does have some value left simply because he's a semi-competent quarterback at a time in the league when there's a major dearth of competency at the quarterback position.
It's also pretty nice for the Texans. They can exhale now that they have Osweiler's contract off their books and with their cleared cap space can pursue a quarterback they prefer. The most popular name, according to reports, is Tony Romo.
Ultimately, the only real loser here seems to be Brock Osweiler, who over the past two seasons has gone from Peyton Manning's backup, to the Texans' prized starter, to a quarterback the Browns will either cut, or trade. If there's any consolation for Osweiler, it's that he's still making plenty of money.
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