Browns ownership reportedly went 'nuclear' after AJ McCarron trade disaster unfolded

Dee Haslam was not thrilled about the inability of the Browns to handle basic office fundamentals

Boy, has it it been a rough week for the people who work in the front office and coaching staff of the Cleveland Browns. No only did the two quarterbacks they actively passed on in the last two NFL drafts win AFC Player of the Month (Deshaun Watson) and NFC Player of the Month (Carson Wentz), but they managed to mangle a potential trade for AJ McCarron because of an inability to handle a very simple office-related task.

Millions of people around the world obnoxiously CC their boss on emails and the Browns couldn't manage to include the NFL on a trade-related email. It should be no surprise that the person cutting the checks to pay for the Browns front office was irate at the situation.

In fact, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Browns ownership went "nuclear" on the front office. And it sounds like, from Florio's report, that it was Dee Haslam, wife of Jimmy Haslam, who lost it on the club employees.

Frankly, it would be difficult to blame her for going nuts. The Browns, admittedly, had a trade in place for McCarron. Everyone, including McCarron himself and his coach Marvin Lewis, thought he was being dealt to the Browns for a second- and third-round pick.

Never mind that's an absurd price to pay for a relatively unproven quarterback. The problem here is there was a rumored disconnect between the front office and coaching staff that caused part of the troubles in filing the proper paperwork. And that the proper paperwork wasn't filed. 

The Browns excuse appears to be that they sent the terms of the trade to the Bengals, who were supposed to send everything to the NFL. It's basically the NFL trade deadline's version of "I gave my that 10-page final paper to Steve, he said he was turning it in, Mr. Hand." The Browns are Jeff Spicoli.

As noted by several current and former executives, the Browns' behavior within the context of what normally happens with trades was not entirely normal.

The result was anything but normal, with an agreed-upon trade falling through because of a paperwork/clerical error. It's a small thing and it caused a big problem and it's one of those microcosmic issues that reflects poorly on the organization. It should not be surprising that the bossman or bosslady -- or both -- are upset about how things played out. 

If there weren't going to be heads rolling after this season, there probably are now.