When the Cleveland Browns fully guaranteed Deshaun Watson's $230 million contract, it raised a lot of eyebrows. Now, Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is concerned that it will have a major impact on future negotiations with NFL players.
Watson is currently dealing with sexual assault allegations. While he has been cleared of potential criminal charges–allowing the Houston Texans to trade him and eventually send him to the Browns–the lawsuit is not yet over. With that said, many people were shocked to see Cleveland offer him a game-changing five-year guaranteed deal.
Nobody saw that coming, and even Bisciotti couldn't believe it. After all, if you give a player in Watson's position that much money, negotiations with other players becomes more complicated. If he can get that kind of deal, what's stopping other players who are not in his position to not demand the same?
Simply put, it's not a good example considering the controversy surrounding Watson.
“I'm trying to answer that when I had a reaction to it. And it's like, ‘Damn, I wish they hadn't guaranteed the whole contract,'” Bisciotti said during the NFL owners meeting on Tuesday, per ESPN. “I don't know that he should've been the first guy to get a fully guaranteed contract. To me, that's something that is groundbreaking, and it'll make negotiations harder with others.”
For what it's worth, Steve Bisciotti's comments amid the Ravens' talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson about a potential extension.
The Ravens need to reach an extension with Jackson by the next offseason if they want to keep him long-term. If they don't, the team will be forced to use the franchise tag on him as they hope to work towards a new deal.
With that said, it's easy to see why the Baltimore franchise owner did not like the Watson deal. That means they could lose some leverage in contract negotiations, which could make things difficult for teams who have salary cap limitations and issues.
Bisciotti, however, did point out that they don't have to play the same game as the Browns did with Deshaun Watson.
“If I was in bogged-down negotiations with Lamar, then maybe I would have a quicker reaction to that news,” Bisciotti furthered.
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