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Shocker: Houston Texans trade Brock Osweiler to Cleveland Browns

Frank Schwab
NFL writer

Brock Osweiler’s contract looked like the most untradeable thing in sports. So the Houston Texans paid extra to get the Cleveland Browns to take him off their hands.

The Texans traded Osweiler, who signed a four-year, $72 million deal last year and had a wildly disappointing 2016 season, to the Browns on Thursday afternoon. The Texans included a 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 sixth-round pick with Osweiler to get the Browns to take that contract off their hands, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Texans get back just a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft.

That move clears the way for the Texans to pursue Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

The Browns had more than $100 million in salary cap space before Thursday, so it was worth it for them to take on Osweiler’s bloated contract in exchange for adding a second-round pick. The Browns will try to trade Osweiler, Schefter reported, though that won’t be easy. They would have more than enough cap space to keep him on the roster this season, if a trade can’t be made. It’s a shrewd trade for a Browns team that is rebuilding and has more cap space than it can realistically use this offseason.

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The Texans made the playoffs last season in spite of Osweiler’s struggles. They ranked No. 1 in yards allowed last season and that defense will get back three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt from a season-ending back injury. The Texans have a lot of pieces in place to contend in the AFC, but whiffed on Osweiler when they gave him that massive contract. They had to get creative to clear him and his contract off the roster and upgrade the quarterback position, so they made the unusual trade with the Browns. Schefter said the Texans save $16 million in cash this season and $10 million in cap space.

All offseason, the Texans were a candidate to land Romo. The question was always if they could get Romo while also having Osweiler and his $18 million a year contract still on the books. That’s not a problem anymore.

The Texans traded QB Brock Osweiler to the Browns. (AP)
The Texans traded QB Brock Osweiler to the Browns. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!