Deshaun Watson
In a very surprising move, though less surprising with the details of the contract, former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is waiving his no-trade clause and is going to play for the Cleveland Browns.
The trade compensation is as follows: the Texans receive three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round pick, while the Browns receive Watson and a fifth-round pick. Watson will also set a record for the highest guaranteed money given to a NFL player, as his five-year, $230 million contract will be entirely guaranteed.
Watson is still facing 22 civil suits alleging sexual misconduct and potential discipline from the NFL. Per Ian Rapoport, Watson’s base salary for 2022 is $1 million. If he does, in fact, face a league suspension, it will come out of that.
Meanwhile, it looks like Baker Mayfield will get his wish and be traded.
In NFL Wide Receiver News
The AFC West just keeps getting hotter. Thursday saw wide receiver Davante Adams traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders. On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs added JuJu Smith-Schuster to their wide receiving corps with a one-year, $10.75 million deal.
Over in the NFC South, per ESPN, the Carolina Panthers and wide receiver DJ Moore agreed to a three-year, $61.884 million contract extension, with $41.61 million guaranteed.
Larry Ogunjobi
The Chicago Bears were set to add former Cincinnati Bengals nose tackle Larry Ogunjobi to their defensive line, but after Ogunjobi failed his physical, the signing will not happen. He was reportedly supposed to sign a three-year, $40.5 million deal.
Ogunjobi injured his foot during the wild-card round of the playoffs, but the Bears did not say whether or not the failed physical was due to his foot. The 27 year-old Ogunjobi becomes a free agent again.
March Madness
The men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments are under way and the madness has already begun.
The men’s tourney, which started on Thursday, saw a major upset when the No. 2 seeded Kentucky Wildcats were upset by the No. 15 seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks. The day began with the Michigan Wolverines advancing to the second round, and you know I had to get that in here.
Both tournaments take place over the next couple weeks with the women’s Final Four taking place on Friday, April 1 with the National Championship on Sunday, April 3. The men’s Final Four will played on Saturday, April 2 with the National Championship on Monday, April 4.
MLB Signings
MLB Spring Training is in full swing (yes, I did that on purpose) and superstars are on the move.
Let’s start with Freddie Freeman. The former Atlanta Braves superstar is going back to Cali to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, and somebody, me, could not be happier about it. It’s a six-year, $162 million deal, and the Dodgers lineup is officially lit.
Joc Pederson is heading to his hometown to join the San Francisco Giants, while Kris Bryant gets a seven-year, $182 million deal to go to the Colorado Rockies. The latter sent shockwaves through Major League Baseball.
On Friday, the Yankees traded 1B/Luke Voit to the Padres for RHP Justin Lange.