Who won the trade?

[The Legend]

So I'm stealing this topic from something I read online. Yesterday, the Browns made a pretty bold statement about Johnny Manziel saying, "His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules."

Basically saying without saying that on the first day of the new league year in March he'll either be traded for a 7th round pick or cut.

Which brings us to the following question, who exactly won the infamous Trent Richardson for a 1st round pick that became Johnny Manziel early in the 2013 season?

The stats for both guys:

Richardson - 29 games, 316 carries, 977 yards, 6 TD's

Manziel - 14 games, 147/258, 1675 yards, 7 TD's, 7 Int's, 4 lost fumbles

So what do we think, who won this trade?

@Messiah @Everlong

[DBSoT]

Cleveland got the better end of the actual trade, because a 1st rounder is big get for Richardson. However, Indy ended up better off then Cleveland in the end. Both teams essentially lost a 1st round pick, but Indy is much further along in terms of winning games. I would also wait to see if Cleveland gets anything for Manziel. If they get a 7th rounder that turns out to be, at worst, a starter, then that is a good trade.

[Everlong]

I think the Browns won, because with what both teams knew at the time, getting a first round pick for Richardson was absolutely the right choice.

Basically, the Browns made a good trade, they just fucked up the draft pick.

[The Legend]

I think the Browns won, because with what both teams knew at the time, getting a first round pick for Richardson was absolutely the right choice.

Basically, the Browns made a good trade, they just fucked up the draft pick.

The other way to look at it, the Browns got a chance to re-use a bad draft choice when they traded Richardson to Indy and used it to take a bigger train wreck and a worse player in Manziel.

While it can be argued that trading for Richardson was a big mistake, the history of Richardson and Manziel in the league shows the Browns made three different huge mistakes. That's a special level of sucktitude.

[Everlong]

^Yeah, I can agree with that. But I'm just evaluating the trade for itself without the other surrounding factors.

[Messiah]

Browns clearly won the trade. It's not even a question.

How badly they fucked up what they got out of the trade shouldn't factor into the equation. It wasn't like they traded Richardson for Manziel. They traded Richardson for a 1st round pick, a serious steal. One of the biggest steals ever. They just didn't use it well.

[The Legend]

Browns clearly won the trade. It's not even a question.

How badly they fucked up what they got out of the trade shouldn't factor into the equation. It wasn't like they traded Richardson for Manziel. They traded Richardson for a 1st round pick, a serious steal. One of the biggest steals ever. They just didn't use it well.

See I disagree with that. A first round draft pick has no inherent value to improve the team. You can't put a piece of paper that says FIRST ROUND PICK on the field to help your team win or improve. The only thing that gives that pick any value is the player that you select with the pick.

[Messiah]

So are you saying you wouldn't trade Richardson for a first round pick?

Because unless that answer is no, then the Browns made a great trade and won it. What the Browns did with that pick shouldn't have to do with the trade itself. Just the way I see it, though.

It's like if the Panthers traded, say, Shaq Thompson for 10 first round draft picks. Even if they all turned into busts, Panthers still won that trade. They got an absurd, unprecedented amount of value for a single player.

I get what you're saying. I, personally, just don't see it that way and hate how trades are looked at that way by some.

[The Legend]

So are you saying you wouldn't trade Richardson for a first round pick?

Because unless that answer is no, then the Browns made a great trade and won it. What the Browns did with that pick shouldn't have to do with the trade itself. Just the way I see it, though.

It's like if the Panthers traded, say, Shaq Thompson for 10 first round draft picks. Even if they all turned into busts, Panthers still won that trade. They got an absurd, unprecedented amount of value for a single player.

I get what you're saying. I, personally, just don't see it that way and hate how trades are looked at that way by some.

I see what you are saying as well. It's just when you get so comedically little out of what is supposed to be a great haul it's hard to call them a winner.