Jimmy Haslam‘s admission on the 2022 Deshaun Watson trade could certainly be interpreted as the Browns closing the book on an expensive failure, and the team is now holding what appears to be a four-man derby for the starting job.
This effort, which consists entirely of low-cost contracts, came about because of both Watson’s failure to impress when available and his run of injury trouble. Watson has sustained two Achilles tears since October, seemingly moving him out of the picture in Cleveland. As Shedeur Sanders and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel receive considerable attention as prospective starters — joining Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in this mix — Watson appears to be working his way back into the equation.
[RELATED: Browns Not Planning Quarterback Trade]
The embattled quarterback has shed his walking boot and has resumed throwing, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot reports. Watson has been throwing to Jerry Jeudy and David Bell at the team’s facility, with Cabot indicating he shed the boot weeks ago. This certainly does not mean Watson will resume command here, as it is not even known if he will throw another pass with Cleveland, but it is an interesting development considering the team’s QB efforts this offseason.
Word of Watson’s second Achilles tear surfaced in mid-January, and Haslam labeled the trade a mistake in April. Watson, 29, submitted a woeful run of performances before his first tear occurred last season. Kevin Stefanski repeatedly insisted he would not bench the high-priced QB, but the former Texans Pro Bowler had not been close to what the Browns hoped when they (via an outlier $230MM guarantee) beat out the Falcons, Saints and Panthers for him. Cleveland went three years without a first-round pick thanks to the trade, and it passed on Travis Hunter to acquire a 2026 first-round pick — and it should be expected the team will be closely linked to the ’26 QB class as a result.
Watson’s albatross contract, repeatedly restructured (most recently in March), still runs through 2026. The Browns would be on the hook for an unfathomable dead money amount if they cut him next year; they would surely spread the $131.16MM across two years via a post-June 1 designation. Cleveland is also setting up for a potential battle via an insurance measure taken out on the contract. Watson being unable to play this season puts a $44.27MM sum in play for the Browns to recover. Although the team could collect on other components of the policy to help soften the blow of an inevitable divorce, Watson being healthy enough to play in 2025 would affect a sizable chunk of the return.
News of the second tear was believed set to sideline Watson for most or all of the 2025 season, and the Browns responded by trading for a passer, signing another and then drafting two more. PFR’s poll about which one would log the most starts this season did include Watson, but few expect him to play a notable role for the team this season. Watson’s recovery, however, will be a storyline to follow, as the Browns look to be prepared to move on.
It will be interesting to learn about a potential clearance expectation later this year. Watson is likely to begin the season on the Browns’ reserve/PUP list, but if he receives clearance during the season, seeing how the team handles it will become a front-burner matter. The Texans made Watson a healthy scratch throughout the 2021 season, as the QB’s list of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct accusers piled up after he had requested a trade. A similar plan could conceivably form in Cleveland, should Watson be ready to go at some point later this year.
lol so what?
I mean he’s doing the Browns a disservice at all by even showing he can play as they can’t make an insurance claim. But it’s still a disaster nonetheless
It’s a shitshow seven ways to Sunday lmao
Shouldn’t this article being with the phrase “Unfortunately for Cleveland”?
Maybe lol
Yea buddy! Here we go girls!
Dudes battling Anthony Rendon for biggest thievery of a professional contract.
Strasburg is a contender too
At least he won a Chip
Sam Bradford
Albert Haynesworth
No Browns fan wants him in Cleveland. He needs to stop wearing their gear.
Please.
I remember when the deal was completed. Browns fans were out with massage tables making fun of the women he assaulted. They thought they got a world-beater at QB.
Then they got what they deserved.
Not me. At the time, I thought it was the dumbest trade in NFL history.
Still do.
That’s a bit dramatic. We had maybe one Browns fan that was active, and he probably got more hate than he deserved for it, if I’m being honest.
He’s already the all time leader in touchdowns (below the waist).
That QB room is gonna be amazing this season
Watson will once again screw the Browns!!
What a pathetic trade!
The Browns screwed the Browns.
Where are all the Watson LOVERS now? I’ve hated his ass since day 1. Wish I was wrong. We sold the farm for a guy who didn’t play for a year at that point already… on top of his pervertedness.. Jimmy Haslam should stick to gas stations
I believe in Watson. No one is perfect. Injuries can happen to anyone. I’ve seen him play in person twice and he can be a great player. They overpaid but that happens often and teams mitigate their losses by cutting plenty of players with years left on their contracts. There are many, many people who have done much worse than what he’s been accused of and they don’t get half as vitriol. Don’t be surprised if he’s playing well for some team after getting healthy.
I liked Watson at Clemson
I thought he was a rising star in Houston
Then the injuries and off field behavior
I may have agreed with you if this was him in Houston. It’s hard to see a big comeback now
Ok Myles LOL
The front office and the entire on-field staff have resumed THROWING – UP
Dumbshawn needs to retire and walk away. He is the biggest joke in the NFL. But this is also the league that lets wife beaters and guys who assault elderly people to continue to play, and is now considering letting a murderer back in the league. So having a serial sexual assaulter trot his happy a** out on the field everyday is par for the course. I personally couldn’t walk out on that field every game knowing that every person in the stands knows what kind of a weirdo I am.
I don’t think that at this point anybody cares if he ever plays another down in the NFL. And I think that a lot of the players forget that it is privilege to play in the NFL, NBA, or MLB and not a right. Anyone that is convicted or confesses to a crime should be barred from ever playing again. This is my personal opinion and nothing else.
how many snaps will Shadeur take this year?
Shedeur.
He isn’t remotely ready for the pro game, which is why he fell as far as he did. Teams in need don’t pass up guys they think are ready at the QB position.
I think he may have trouble getting snaps in preseason games. I don’t see him getting many regular season snaps.
Watson is finished…put him on the PUP list
Even as a Browns fan, I appreciate how Watson is handling this situation. The insurance is widely reported and it is a significant sum. If doctors clear him to play, that impacts this insurance payout. And what better way to stick it to Haslam for his comments than work your butt off to be healthy enough to play.
If Watson doesn’t try to play, the Browns lose too. You can bet there are insurance doctors circling like vultures to find lack of best effort.
Only folks you are punishing are Browns fans who buy tickets to their games.
His injuries haven’t prevented him from throwing NDAs to masseuses all over NE Ohio for his rub and tugs.