Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Won't Save Browns in 2022, Hurts them in 2023 Through 2026

As the Cleveland Browns face the possibility of a lost season due to Deshaun Watson's suspension, many are advocating for a trade to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo, a quarterback that won't save them this year and would actually hurt their ability to operate in the future.

The worst thing the Cleveland Browns can do is try to "save" the 2022 season by trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, the modern incarnation of Neil O'Donnell. Garoppolo is not good enough and any short term payoff comes with long term consequences. If the Browns wanted to have a better quarterback to play while Deshaun Watson was suspended, they should've worked harder to salvage their relationship with projected week one opponent, Baker Mayfield.

Even if the San Francisco 49ers were willing to give the Browns Garoppolo for nothing to avoid him going to the Seattle Seahawks, the salary he's due goes against everything the Browns have been prioritizing this offseason. They have actively signed players to extensions and held back on going after veterans entirely for the sake of their salary cap so they can roll as much over as possible so they can keep this core together for the next four to five years.

Garoppolo is set to earn $24.2 million in salary this season, $7.6 million more than the Browns were set to pay Mayfield this year and the Browns still had to eat $10.5 million of Mayfield's salary. If Garoppolo gets his entire salary, the Browns will lose out on $48.4 million in adjusted salary cap next year, which will not only limit what the Browns could pay prospective free agents, including their own like Jadeveon Clowney, but also carry over into 2024 through 2026, the years Watson, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, David Njoku, Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller are all under contract.

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According to Over the Cap, the Browns currently have $49.2 million in cap space. IF they were to rollover that entire amount, the Browns will have $98.4 million in adjusted salary cap space in 2023. If the Browns take on Garoppolo's $24.2 million salary, those numbers drop to $25 million rolling over to become $50 million, cutting the adjusted salary cap figure for 2023 in half.

In 2023, the Browns will almost certainly convert as much of Deshaun Watson's $46 million salary as possible into a signing bonus to continue this trend of building adjusted cap space that will last through this run. It's a snowball effect the Browns have been able to use effectively for years, allowing the Browns to spend as much money as any team in the league and having the most cap space of any team in the league. So even as the contracts they are paying out to their stars escalate, they can maintain their roster and even continue adding to it. Giving up $48.4 million of space in 2023 for a quarterback no one else wants is ludicrous.

So in attempting to "save" 2022, the Browns put themselves at a significant disadvantage for the following four seasons when they should have a far better opportunity to win the Super Bowl, the only metric the Browns are focused. The Browns have been carefully setting this up since Sashi Brown was the Executive Vice President of the team. Garoppolo isn't worth torpedoing that strategy.

He is a game manager tasked with avoiding mistakes, which is exactly what the Browns already have with Jacoby Brissett for a quarter of the price. He might be a slightly better passer than Brissett, but Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk aren't coming with him in any prospective trade and the Browns receiving threats aren't on their level. Neither is Kyle Shanahan, one of the league's best offensive minds who has actively given up on him in favor of Trey Lance, willing to give up three first round picks to insure he isn't stuck with Garoppolo for another season.

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Did I mention the potential locker room issues acquiring Garoppolo could create?

In 2016, the New England Patriots went 14-2 and won the Super Bowl despite Tom Brady missing four games due to his suspension resulting from deflategate. Somehow six years later, Martellus Bennett and Julian Edelman are still angry at Garoppolo for tapping out the day of a game.

That left then rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett to play with virtually no preparation. Brissett would also end up playing with ligament damage in his thumb on his throwing hand. Bennett and Edelman both applauded Brissett's toughness.

Browns players have been talking about how much they love Brissett, how they value his wisdom and leadership and are fully backing him as they prepare for 11 games without Deshaun Watson. Brissett has also been with the Browns working all offseason. The locker room might bristle at adding any quarterback just a few weeks before the start of the season, but Garoppolo in particular might cause a major rift, something the Browns can ill afford.

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Some have even described Shanahan's language as coded in regards to Garoppolo's toughness. It's important to point out that Garoppolo played in the playoffs through pain and had to have offseason shoulder surgery. However, that is another reason to be wary of acquiring him.

If the Browns weren't willing to go out and add another veteran receiver among other positions that could help the Watson-led Browns be more competitive in 2022 due to concerns over his availability, why would they use that money for a mediocre interim passer?

The Browns were always prepared for the possibility the 2022 season was going to be a lost season. It was baked into the trade of Watson with the knowledge of a looming suspension. They will try to win as many games as possible with what they have, but gain nothing in using extra money and draft capital this year to maybe squeak into the playoffs in a loaded conference. Acquiring Garoppolo doesn't guarantee the Browns anything. They could still miss the playoffs, which would only magnify the folly of such a trade.

When the Browns made the move for Watson, they made the Super Bowl the expectation for his tenure in Cleveland. The Browns were willing to potentially sacrifice the 2022 season if it meant at least four years of having a stacked team that could go the distance.

The money they don't use on Garoppolo in 2022 could be rolled over to potentially add more weapons for Watson or address other areas of concern when he's available for a full season and is more prepared to play like a franchise quarterback.

The only way the Browns should even consider Garoppolo is if the 49ers cut him and he's willing to play for practically nothing. Short of that, the Browns can fall short of the postseason without adding an expensive game manager with a reputation of being soft. When it comes to understanding how the Browns will operate, always follow the money.