It’s unclear if quarterback Deshaun Watson will ever play another in-game down of football for the Cleveland Browns after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted back on March 31 that the club “took a big swing and miss with” the acquisition of Watson in March 2022 that included handing him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract.
For a piece published Tuesday morning, an unnamed NFC team executive expressed doubts that Watson has a future in the league after he suffered a torn Achilles on Oct. 20 and then tore the Achilles again during his recovery.
“If released, I don’t see anyone picking him up,” the executive said about Watson, as shared by Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “And then, down the road, the question will be, will he take low-QB money? Would he even be motivated to play at that point?”
The version of Watson who earned Pro Bowl nods as a member of the Houston Texans each season from 2018 through 2020 is now but a memory. Since then, he has sat through an entire campaign amid a desire to be traded, has served an 11-game suspension related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions and had his 2023 season cut short because of a shoulder injury before he ruptured his right Achilles tendon this past fall.
“In 19 starts for the Browns,” Oyefusi wrote, “Watson’s 34.2 Total QBR is second worst to the Tennessee Titans’ Will Levis among qualified passers.”
People within the Browns are reportedly confident that former Pittsburgh Steelers flop Kenny Pickett can revive his career with Cleveland. Additionally, many believe the Browns will take a quarterback with a high-value draft asset during the upcoming player-selection process.
In his latest mock draft posted on Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the Browns will select Louisville signal-caller Tyler Shough at pick No. 33.
The Browns may be willing and able to move on from Watson as soon as next year. An agent who spoke with Oyefusi indicated at least one quarterback-needy club would consider taking a flier on the 29-year-old if he hits the open market at some point before training-camp practices get underway in 2026.
“The league is forgiving with quarterbacks that have exhibited high-level talent,” that agent explained. “There is a shortage of good QB play. That’s why I think a team could take a chance on [Watson] if he proves healthy. Some owners could have a problem with that because of the past, but not all.”
Watson has already accumulated generational wealth but also seems to have a need to prove doubters (and maybe the Browns) wrong. For what it’s worth, he’s given no indication he is no longer “motivated to play” following his latest physical setback.
