We barely made it 48 hours into the online NFL betting free agency before being hit with one of the strangest and historic trades in league history. It’s hard to imagine the talks and negotiations that led up to this bizarre deal, but in the end the Cleveland Browns ended up taking one for the team. That team being Houston of course.
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To recap, the Houston Texans shipped Brock Osweiler, along with his contract; the whopping 4-year $72 million noose the Texans made themselves, to Cleveland. In exchange, the Browns received a 2017 sixth-round pick, a 2018 second-round pick, and only had to give up a 2017 fourth-round pick. Well that, and eat the abysmal contract that Houston had negotiated for in 2016 online NFL betting offseason.
In reality, the deal was more about buying a draft pick. After delivering one of the worst passing performances in the league last season, Osweiler was inarguably the most overpaid player in the NFL. Houston desperately needed out and was able to convince the Browns to take the bullet by chalking up a couple of draft picks. While these types of deals are not uncommon in the NBA, they’re seldom seen in the NFL. So who ended up winning?
Sportsbook Winners
Paul DePodesta & Sashi Brown
Brown was brought on as General Manager for the Browns on January 3rd, 2016 alongside DePodesta who was brought along as chief strategy officer on January 5th of the same year. There’s no denying their impact has been felt.
Not because of Cleveland’s lackluster regular season record for 2016, but rather because the Browns are finally being associated with something positive. Thanks to their unprecedented move, the Browns draft selection looks like this over the next two years.
2017: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6
2018: 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7
Cleveland
Their unorthodox approach is giving fans something to cheer about. 20+ draft picks might not lead to a Super Bowl, but it’s certainly giving the city something to talk about. There’s no doubt all online NFL betting eyes will be on Cleveland for the next couple of years.
Tony Romo
Now that the Texans have bailed themselves out of a financial bind, there’s plenty of cap space to convince Romo to move to Houston. Granted, it probably won’t take too much convincing to Keep Romo in a state in which he’s beloved.
Bill O’Brien
After regretting his decision to bring on Osweiler, O’Brien had his offseason acquisition benched in favor of Tom Savage. After Savage got injured as the Texans were heading into the postseason, O’Brien was put in the uncomfortable position of having to ask the man he benched to lead his offense again. Now O’Brien has a shot to redeem himself.
Sportsbooks Losers
Brock Osweiler
As NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports, the Browns will likely release Osweiler if they’re unable to find a team who’s willing to make a trade. He’ll still get his guaranteed money, but he’ll also have one of the worst legacies in NFL history.
Robert Griffin III
Rapoport also noted that Cleveland will likely be moving on from Griffin, to help ease the blow that is eating the Osweiler contract. The Browns will be saving $7.5 million and it’s hard to picture any team signing Griffin.
Rick Smith
The Texans’ general manager who will always be remembered for making the worst contract in NFL history. At least he found a way out of it, but in reality, most of the credit belongs to the Browns’ bold management.
