The Cleveland Browns clearly made a mistake when they traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a massive guaranteed contract, but they may give the star quarterback one more season to prove his worth.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote on Monday that he believes Watson will be back with the Browns in 2025. However, Breer expects the team to take its quarterback contingency plan a lot more seriously this offseason.
“Until now, the Browns have built a quarterback room to support Watson. This year, they’ll look, through the draft and/or the veteran market, to add competition to the room. So while the likelihood — because of the injury and the contract — is Watson will be back, the Browns are going to look to do more than just stop-gap the backup spot,” Breer wrote.
Watson signed a fully guaranteed $230 million deal with the Browns prior to the 2022 season. He is owed $46 million in each of the next two seasons. He has massive salary cap hits of nearly $73 million both years.
The 29-year-old Watson suffered a torn Achilles in Week 7, so he is facing a long rehab. He had been playing poorly before the injury, throwing for 1,148 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while leading the Browns to a 1-5 record. The erratic play was consistent with what we have seen from Watson in his three seasons with the Browns, though he has only played in 19 total games for Cleveland.
Though the Browns will have to pay Watson regardless, some have wondered if the combination of sub-par play, a major injury and embarrassing off-field issues could inspire the Browns to cut their losses.
Even if the Browns keep Watson, it sounds like they have accepted that he is never going to be the franchise quarterback they thought they had acquired.
