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The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns completed a stunning trade on Thursday to send quarterback Brock Osweiler to Cleveland, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Texans are also sending a 2017 sixth-round pick and 2018 first-round pick to the Browns in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round pick and salary-cap relief from getting rid of Osweiler’s contract.
In turn, the cash savings will help Houston chase Tony Romo should he cut from the Dallas Cowboys, according to Schefter. On Thursday, it was reported that the Cowboys were seeking a trade for Romo rather than cutting him; the Texans were said to be interested.
According to Schefter, the move will open up $10 million in salary cap space and save $16 million in cash for the Texans.
Schefter reports that the Browns are not interested in keeping Osweiler and are likely to trade him, resulting in an NBA-like transcation in which teams trade bloated contracts to get them off the books, a rare occurrence in the NFL.
It’s a steep fall from grace for Osweiler, who was considered one of the prized free agents last offseason. The Texans pried him away from the Denver Broncos with a four-year, $72 million contract with two years and $36 million guaranteed. In Osweiler’s lone year with the Texans, he was a disaster, completing just 59% of his passes for 2,975 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, with 72.2 passer rating. In December, Osweiler was benched for backup Tom Savage, and the Houston fans gave a standing ovation.
Now, it appears Osweiler is simply going to be passed around the NFL as teams try to get assets for salary cap relief.