DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What If?

Just to clarify a couple of things..

First, his signing bonus is tied to the Browns, it does not go to the traded team. Only future roster bonuses move with the player. He is due two different roster bonuses of $2.5M and $600k that = $3.1M roster bonuses in 2027. That is the only bonus for him. All other bonus money has already been paid to him in cash, but follow the Browns in the cap system.

So, the new team would have the following:

Remaining 2026 salary

After week 6: Browns will have paid $7,605,000, the new team would then pay the remaining 11 game checks to a total of $9,295,000 for 2026 to help them win this season
Then 2027 they will owe the roster bonuses of $3,100,000 and the salary of $17,400,000, which is about the 20th highest in the league.

Anyone trading for Ward is doing so because they have a huge hole created and playoffs/Super Bowl aspirations on the line.

Ward's trade value right now is a second round pick for a contender, to save this season and have him for another full season.

Wait until after the season and he is probably still worth a 3rd round pick for the final season and opportunity to extend his contract.


**Anything lower than that offered, the Browns will keep him and get the last couple years of his prime, let him go to free agency and collect a 3rd or 4th round compensatory pick.

Yes - for some reason I thought that he was a FA after this year. If his contract was up this year I think he has much less value. The caveat would be if we sign and trade him whereby the Browns eating his signing bonus helps the team out and makes the situation more appealing.

The only people that would be buying will be teams that think they're making a run and Ward would be the missing piece they need, so they'll pay, and there's zero chance we trade him for less than the 3rd rounder compensatory.... so, the teams willing to pony up will be slim pickins for sure. Either way, we don't have to panic sell.

Bone, while it is a dream right now, there is a chance it could become a reality.

My biggest pause is that it is usually pretty slow implementing a whole new system. Pair that with starting an entirely new offensive line. Not one of them have played together before.

I would put the chance of everything coming together fast enough to win consistently at about 20%.

I just don’t trust either QB. I hope I’m wrong. It would be my wildest dream for Shedeur to step up, but he didn’t show much last season and it’s only year two with a whole new coaching staff. He is so much pressure all the time. It’s not just Shedeur, it’s the whole Sanders family. You got bro who can’t stay off social media and you got Pops who wants to meet with the coaching staff. I know it’s easy to say, ignore Deion, but if you do that then you have Shedeur for 4 years and he goes somewhere he can control the agenda, period.

Even if.. they pull it together and win games this year, I would still like to find a way to get a QB in 2027. I don’t believe in Gabriel, I’m ready to move on and let him find a comfy back up job with a team that is settled with their main guy. That’s his role in the league. Watson is already gone. I get that he is the best chance to win in 2026, his veteran presence could help the offense to come together sooner than later, but it won’t give anyone else the needed reps to get up to pro speed. As much as I want to win at all cost, I really just want to give the starting job to Shedeur and move forward. Give him all the opportunities he needs to succeed and see where it goes. If he falls on his face, that’s on him and his dad can’t cause any drama. If he doesn’t, well then we can start finding ways to make this roster hole free with the assets we have in the draft from Myles. We still have a way to go if Haslem’s plan is to be championship caliber for the opening in 2029. The only way to get there sooner is to hit a home run with a QB. Just so much room to fail, I wish we could get that with Sanders.

I agree there is a chance we could be good and win 10 games and make the playoffs. Todd Monken is going to start the QB that gives us the best chance to win because it's his job to win as many games as possible. However. it would make more sense for the long term to start Shedeur for the reasons Irish gave. Let him sink or swim. If he does well, we could be drafting in the early 20's but can still move up to take a QB if we have to. If he doesn't, we'll probably de drafting in the top 10. A lot of things up in the air with many questions to be answered. At least we have the draft capitol to move up. Smart move by AB.

Yeah Homewood, I’m not convinced the Myles trade is going to sink this team like some others do. With Verse added to the mix, Berry set the defense up to succeed immediately. The extra picks along with him can go anywhere the team needs them to. Might be a QB, might be defensive backfield or offensive line. There really are so many possibilities now.

Those possibilities may become more clear as the season unfolds. By the time the season is over those possibilities may have dwindled.

What if he doesn't? Lot of wishful thinking here, hoping it all comes together and he is appointed and anointed. You seem to post regularly about handing him the starter job. Talk to us about how bad he has to play, what would the shortcomings be, to deny that? I see him as a keepable third if he improved over last year, but that is a reach born of generosity. I don't think that everything is in the air because it is a complex decision to be made with many moving variables. We did see some serious issues needing to be addressed and overcome. We need to be guilty of fairness in assessing abilities going forward. Need to see that under Monken.

I certainly see your point but I think there is another very legitimate way to look at this. I don't think the point is to simply "hand the job to Sanders". Watson certainly has the experience to give him the upper hand going into this. But I think the angle one must consider is do people realistically see Watson being re-signed here? I don't think most of us do. We would have to compete against every other QB needy team for his services and he would have to totally turn things around as well. After everything the team has been though since his arrival, would one average season change any of that? So I feel you would have to look at it from the perspective that this will be Watson's last season in a Browns uniform.

So if watson is the starter this season, where does that leave us? It leaves us totally in the dark on whether Sanders could be the answer going into next season. The Browns wouldn't have any idea what they do have left at the QB position. At that point is it wiser to invest this season to see what Sanders can become moving forward to give them a fair assessment going into the draft next season where they stand at the QB position or be completely in the dark by having Sanders sit this season?

Please don't get me wrong. I think sanders having the ability to take a giant leap forward this year is somewhere between slim and none. But then again I'm no expert. I'm just a person who understands both sides of the coin here.

I know Browns fans are starving for a winning team and a winning season. I know they are tired of the "wait until next year" thought process. I am as well. I know it's Monken's job to win games. But at this juncture next year and next years QB's class will be the deciding factor on the Browns long term success unless Sanders turns from caterpillar into a butterfly. And we will never know the answer to that question if he doesn't play. No matter how slim that possibility may be. So does the team go for instant gratification or look to clear up the questions surrounding the long term QB situation moving forward?

My opinion would be to let Sanders start up until the time comes this FO feels they have their answer if Sanders can be the guy or not moving forward. If not and he botches it all up, play watson.

I think trading Myles puts a lot more pressure on his former dline-mates to step up. Mason Graham needs to have the second season that some are hyping him for, and Wright/McGuire need to continue to round out into solid contributing starters. It also wouldn't hurt for a guy or two (like Adin Huntington, for example) to take the next step and carve out a role for themselves within the D.

Honestly, this is the only scenario I can see where Shedeur is the starter for Game 1. I don't believe he is capable of actually earning it outright.
I mean, he might surprise and actually show that he can operate under pressure and make good, quick decisions that don't turn the ball over, but we won't remotely have a chance to see that until mid-August.

Watson will be here no matter what - and will nearly certainly be gone in March (with a Post-June 1 designation).... the only question is what is their near term goal and plans with Shedeur. I expect we want to have a really solid feel of what we do and don't have with Shedeur before next year's Draft and for that reason alone, we may roll with him out of the gate. Maybe see if we can build him up a little and find someone to trade for him? I strongly feel that both are likely viewed as just placeholders for this year.

The kid we just drafted this year, Green, I expect to see Monken work in packages where he is used like Lamar, and depending on how he progresses, we may see more and more of him toward the end of the season.


FWIW: Watson will still count $34 million against our cap in '27 and another $51 million in '28. Just imagine what we could have afforded to have done with this roster each year if we hadn't given him that idiotic contract.

I am not this curious. These QB problems are hard to ignore, to hide, and to compensate for. Monken's due diligence will demand looking beyond SS. Place holder room now.

If we didn't make that trade for Watson and didn't give him that ridiculous contract, we might actually be contending for a Super Bowl or maybe already been in one. Only the Mike Ditka trade fiasco for Ricky Williams comes remotely close to it. What a shame!

That would all be dependent on whether they landed a franchise QB with those draft picks they gave up for him. If they still didn't have a franchise QB they would still be needing draft assets to put us in a position to get one. I see your point that they would have had more draft assets over those years with which to attempt to draft a QB but the question will always remain if they would have or not.

I'm looking forward to the mini-camp and the pre-season. B4 I even look at '27 QB's I want to see Sanders and Green, yep Green. He showed super at the combine and has the potential to be as good or better than Lamar. Only if both Sanders and Green are flops will I look beyond, Though I would have liked Sorsby if available.

Green definitely has potential, and while I still prefer a Trent Green style QB, I could live with a "Lamar" Green if it brings wins, even if I will be screaming at the TV like it's Brady Quinn back there. Wheels like his cover up a lot of sins.