The only certainty about Deshaun Watson’s future with the Browns is that they owe him $92 million over the next two years. Everything else about the quarterback is up in the air.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry was largely non-committal about Watson. He said he hasn’t ruled out the divisive QB playing for Cleveland again in 2025, despite another significant injury, three disappointing seasons and a divided fan base.
Watson is recovering from a season-ending torn Achilles tendon he suffered last month. That, along with the fact that Watson is one of the lowest-rated quarterbacks in the NFL this season, has led to speculation about how — and if — he fits with the Browns, who made a franchise-altering trade to acquire him in 2022 to take.
Berry was immediately asked whether Watson would play for Cleveland again. “That’s always possible,” Berry said, leaving the door open for other options.
With eight games left in a season the Browns (2-7) expected to make the playoffs, Berry said he wasn’t looking beyond the remaining schedule.
“Our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is primarily on recovery and making sure he gets healthy from the Achilles injury,” Berry said. “We will deal with everything else at a later time.”
The team’s decision to trade three first-round draft picks to the Houston Texans and then sign the 29-year-old Watson by offering him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract has backfired.
Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, is 9-10 in just 19 starts with Cleveland. He was suspended 11 games by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy in his first season with the Browns and the last two ended prematurely with injuries.
But even when healthy, Watson wasn’t very good; turnovers, bad decisions and losses dominated his time in Cleveland. The Browns were 1-5 this season and had not scored 20 points in any game before Watson was injured.
However, Berry said it isn’t fair to blame Watson. “We didn’t play well as a team or as a unit in attack,” he said. “If you don’t play well on offense, your starting quarterback and your play-caller obviously get the most criticism. But the reality is that violations come down to organization and synchronization. There’s just a lot of shared ownership between the different position groups when it comes to the reasons why we haven’t performed.”
Watson will make $46 million in each of the next two seasons, and the Browns, who reworked his payout this season to create salary cap space, will take a $72 million hit in 2025 and 2026, impacting their net worth to build a roster with talent and holes.
The deal has been universally approved, with some calling it the worst in NFL history. Team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam were widely criticized for the move because of the money and because Watson’s signing came amid allegations of sexual misconduct while playing for the Texans. He was accused by twenty women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions. He has not been charged with any charges.
Berry reiterated that the trade was collaborative. “Like we’ve always said, we were all on board,” Berry said. “Everyone is on board and obviously with a great commitment in that regard, that will always be the case.”
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland received mixed reactions from fans, some of whom were disgusted that the team would add a player of questionable character. Then, after Watson was injured last year, the Browns signed Joe Flacco as a free agent and the veteran QB led them to a playoff berth.
The team’s choice not to bring back Flacco further alienated Watson’s opponents. Matters came to a head last month when there was a mocking cheer from Browns fans when Watson was injured, a reaction that angered several of his teammates.
Berry was asked if the negative reaction will affect future QB decisions. “We love our fans,” he said. “We know they are passionate and they love the team. When we make organizational decisions, they will always be in line with what we believe is in the best interests of the franchise. Some of them will be popular, some of them will be unpopular, but that’s really the way we’re going to deal with it.”