PITTSBURGH — "AFC North division for $230 million, Alex."
ANSWER: Cincinnati Bengals.
QUESTION: "What is the only team without significant quarterback issues?"
Correct.
You know all about the Steelers' quarterback situation. Hall of Famer-to-be Ben Roethlisberger is gone after 18 seasons. Mitch Trubisky appears to be in line to get the first crack at replacing him. One media observer of the team's offseason practices says Mason Rudolph was more impressive. Top pick Kenny Pickett also is in the mix.
Could things be better?
Absolutely.
The Steelers could have Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
But things also could be more confusing. The Steelers could be trying to figure out a difficult, long-term contract with a star quarterback, as the Baltimore Ravens are trying to do with Lamar Jackson. Or much worse, the Steelers could be the Cleveland Browns. Heaven forbid, right? The Browns are struggling mightily with the Deshaun Watson mess, to the point it has become embarrassing.
You wouldn't wish that on your worst enemy, although you're probably not too troubled watching distraught Browns fans in such agony. Imagine those poor souls, who have never seen their team in a Super Bowl, trying to convince themselves it's somehow OK to root for Watson as a player but not as a person. He has been accused of sexual misconduct during massages by 24 women. One of the two women who discussed their encounters with Watson during an appearance on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" said his behavior was "mortifying, embarrassing and disgusting."
What did JuJu Smith-Schuster say so famously?
"The Browns is the Browns."
Watson met with the media Tuesday for the first time since March 25, a week after the Browns traded three first-round draft picks to the Houston Texans to get him and then give him a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract. He once again maintained his innocence.
"I just want to clear my name. I never assaulted anyone," he said. "I never harassed anyone. I never disrespected anyone. I never forced anyone to do anything."
There is no end in sight to Watson's legal troubles, barring a settlement in all of the 24 civil cases against him with two more expected. None will go to trial until next year and all might not be finished until 2024. The expectation has been that the NFL will give Watson a lengthy suspension before this season for violating its personal-conduct code. Now, there's a belief he might not play at all for the second consecutive season.
You want to see a grown coach squirm?
Check out of the video of the Browns' Kevin Stefanski when asked last week how he is dealing with the uncertainty surrounding Watson and his team.
"I'm going to be respectful of the process, be respectful of the legal proceedings," Stefanski said. "I'm going to let that play out.
"We're trying to just focus on today. I can't see past today, truly. That's kind of where my focus is."
Today looks really bleak for the Browns. Their situation is complicated by their bitter divorce with Baker Mayfield after last season. The split was so acrimonious that there is virtually no chance Mayfield will play for the Browns this season, even though he still is on their roster. Their backup quarterback is Jacoby Brissett.
Good luck with that.
The Ravens' story with Jackson is much different, although it is interesting and a bit hard to understand. He is coming off a rough 2021 season when he threw a career-worst 13 interceptions and was sacked a career-high 38 times. He missed the final four games with an ankle injury and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in his four seasons.
Jackson took part in Baltimore's first practice of mandatory minicamp Tuesday after missing all of its three-week OTAs for the first time in his career. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is due to make $23 million this season. The Ravens have said they want to sign him to a long-term extension, but he has refused to negotiate with them. It's reasonable to think he wants more than the guaranteed $230 million that Watson received, considering he was the NFL MVP in 2019 and he doesn't have any burdensome baggage.
There has been speculation Jackson isn't happy about the team's decision to trade his best receiver, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, on draft day in April. He is left with receivers who make up the youngest, least-experienced group in the NFL. None of the 12 on the roster is older than 25. None has played more than two seasons in the league.
It still seems likely the Ravens will find a way to do a deal with Jackson, who is just 25. They know he is an extraordinary talent. At the very least, the team knows it can keep him in 2023 by putting its franchise tag on him. There is comfort in that.
Comfort?
Stefanski, the pitiable Browns and their long-suffering fans have no idea what the word means.
