The Cleveland Browns already have made two of the NFL's biggest quarterback trades this offseason.

Now, with Deshaun Watson suspended 11 games, would the Browns consider another major quarterback deal?

On Thursday, the NFL and NFLPA reached a settlement on discipline for Watson, which includes a $5 million fine and a mandatory evaluation by behavioral experts that included an order to follow their suggested treatment program. The settlement took the decision out of the hands of Peter C. Harvey, who was overseeing the NFL's appeal.

Disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson initially handed Watson the six-game suspension on Aug. 1, finding that he, among other violations, had committed sexual assault during massage sessions.

The NFL argued the penalty wasn't enough for what Robinson termed "predatory" and "egregious" behavior and appealed the decision. Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed Harvey, a former New Jersey attorney general, to rule on the appeal. Ultimately, the league and the NFLPA reached a settlement.

Now that the Watson suspension is official, Cleveland faces a quarterback quandary with only two real options at this point, according to sources.

Move forward with backup Jacoby Brissett? Or go bold and go get San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the top passer on the trading block?

 

The case for Brissett

Earlier this offseason, the Browns signed Brissett to play in case Watson was suspended. Except, according to multiple team sources, they originally envisioned that suspension being six games or so, essentially the length of the initial penalty.

When Robinson's six-game ruling was delivered, multiple team sources conveyed a belief that the Browns could go 4-2 with Brissett at quarterback against a manageable schedule, which would keep Cleveland in the AFC playoff picture ahead of Watson's Week 7 return.