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Remembering When the Browns Were Too Stupid to Finish an AJ McCarron Trade

By Scott Rogust

The Browns stupidly forget to fax over their trade agreement with the Bengals for quarterback AJ McCarron.
The Browns stupidly forget to fax over their trade agreement with the Bengals for quarterback AJ McCarron. / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The Cleveland Browns haven't endeared themselves to the NFL masses due to their gross incompetence in the front office. There have been plenty of occasions where they made questionable free agency signings or NFL Draft decisions. But, absolutely nothing tops their trade deadline blunder in 2017.

Cleveland was looking to acquire a quarterback in AJ McCarron at the deadline. At the time, the Cincinnati Bengals had no need for him because of the presence of Andy Dalton. So, the Bengals agreed to trade McCarron to the Browns in exchange for second and third-round draft picks in 2018, five minutes before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.

The thing is: the Bengals sent their paperwork to the NFL, but the Browns did not, because they were too busy celebrating! Thus, the trade was nullified.

This was the pinnacle of Browns ineptitude. The Browns appealed the NFL's decision, but were denied. The rules explicitly state that both teams must send in their paperwork before the trade deadline, and the Browns failed to comply.

Cleveland was in such desperate need for a quarterback at the time because rookie DeShone Kizer failed to prove he was worth their second-round selection in 2017. Let's not forget, the Browns opted to take Kizer after passing on the chance to select some guy named Deshaun Watson in the first round, who turned out to be...very good.

The Browns were usually used to bad publicity, but this was different. They bungled a trade because they were too busy hopping up and down in the conference room. In fact, team co-owner Dee Haslam "went nuclear" after the botch, and we don't blame her.

Who knows how McCarron would've performed with the Browns? Maybe, they could've gotten a win or two with the former Alabama signal caller under center. Instead, Executive Vice President Sashi Brown was fired, while the team finished that season 0-16.

Let that be a lesson to you all. Never celebrate before the job is done. If not, you'll look like a total clown, like the Browns.