Analyst: 'Browns must trade for Jimmy Garoppolo' after Deshaun Watson suspension

Per multiple individuals, the Cleveland Browns will not be trading for San Francisco 49ers veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo even now that starter Deshaun Watson has been suspended for 11 games over allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. 

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said on multiple shows this week the Browns simply aren't interested in acquiring Garoppolo, and Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports echoed that take Thursday after Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski insisted that the organization will "just stick to our plan" of starting backup Jacoby Brissett in Watson's place this fall. 

For a piece published Friday, The Athletic's Jason Lloyd argued the Browns are making a mistake going all-in on Brissett for 11 games. 

"Brissett is a journeyman backup. He’s fine in small doses, but as someone who watched him closely when he was a starter for the Colts told me, the more he plays, the more he’s exposed. The Browns can’t risk their season to a backup," Lloyd wrote of a Cleveland team that completed a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans in March to get Watson so it could immediately chase a Super Bowl championship. 

Unless Garoppolo is released before the regular season, he is owed a $24.2 million base salary for 2022. Lloyd doesn't see that as a reason why the Browns should stick with Brissett into the Week 1 game at the Carolina Panthers considering Cleveland "ate about $10 million" to trade former QB1 Baker Mayfield to none other than the Panthers earlier this summer. 

"Only a fraction of Garoppolo’s current contract is guaranteed, but perhaps the 49ers would be willing to swallow more in exchange for a better draft pick," Lloyd continued. "The Browns could wait out San Francisco in the hope he’s released on Aug. 30, but that doesn’t leave a lot of time to get him acclimated to the system here, and there’s no guarantee Garoppolo would pick Cleveland if given his choice of teams." 

By landing Watson, general manager Andrew Berry and the rest of the Browns' front office unofficially told the football community they believe the team would've made the playoffs last season had Mayfield played better and/or remained healthy. If even a few players in the locker room today view starting Brissett as Cleveland essentially punting on the upcoming campaign, trading for Garoppolo now so he is good to go on Sept. 11 may be a risk worth taking for the Browns.