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’s situation is unclear.
At his annual bye-week news conference, general manager Andrew Berry didn’t give a clear answer about Watson’s future. He said he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Watson playing for Cleveland again in 2025, despite Watson’s latest major injury, three disappointing seasons, and a divided fan base.
Watson is recovering from a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon that he suffered on October 20 in a loss to Cincinnati. Along with Watson’s poor performance this season, where he has been one of the lowest-rated quarterbacks in the NFL, there has been much speculation about whether or how he will fit into the Browns’ future.
The team made a huge trade to acquire him in 2022, which changed the direction of the franchise. Berry was asked directly if Watson will play for Cleveland again. “That’s always possible,” Berry said, leaving open the chance for other possibilities.
With eight games remaining in a season the Browns (2-7) had hoped would include a playoff run, Berry said now isn’t the time to focus on what might happen in the future or dwell on what’s already happened. Instead, the focus is on improving the team in the present.
That includes Watson.
“Really our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is first and foremost with the recovery and to make sure that he gets healthy from the Achilles injury,” Berry said. “Everything else we’ll deal with at a later moment.”
While Berry can say that publicly, it’s reasonable to think the Browns are already preparing for life with or without Watson, who is still in the “very, very early” stages of his rehab, according to Berry.
The team is likely looking ahead, scouting potential quarterbacks in next year’s draft class, or planning how to bridge the gap until they find a long-term quarterback for the franchise. That was supposed to be Watson. It hasn’t worked out.
The Browns’ decision to trade three first-round draft picks to the Houston Texans and then sign the 29-year-old Watson to a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract has not paid off.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Watson has a record of 9-10 in just 19 starts with Cleveland. He was suspended for 11 games by the NFL in his first season with the team for violating its personal conduct policy, and the last two seasons have been cut short by injuries — a broken shoulder in 2023 and a torn tendon in 2024.
But even when he has been healthy, Watson hasn’t played well. He’s had a few standout moments, like evading a sack to make a pass or running for a first down.
He completed all 14 of his passes in the second half of a comeback win last year in Baltimore before breaking a bone in his throwing shoulder.
However, there have also been plenty of bad plays — overthrown passes, poor decisions, and losses. The Browns were 1-5 this season and hadn’t scored 20 points in any game before Watson got hurt on a running play against the Bengals.
Despite this, Berry said it’s not fair to blame everything on Watson.
“We haven’t played well as a team and we haven’t played well as a unit on offense,” he said. “Often times when you don’t play well on offense, obviously your starting quarterback and your play-caller will get the most criticism.
But the reality of it is, offenses, it comes down to organization and synchronization. “There’s just a lot of shared ownership across the different position groups in terms of why we didn’t perform.”
Watson will earn $46 million in each of the next two seasons, and the Browns, who adjusted his payout this season to create salary-cap space, will face a $72 million hit in 2025 and 2026. This will affect their ability to improve a roster with both talent and weaknesses.
The deal has been widely criticized, with some calling it the worst contract in NFL history.
Team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam faced heavy criticism for the move, both because of the large amount of money involved and because Watson’s signing came amid allegations of sexual misconduct while he was with the Texans. He was accused by two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions.
Berry emphasized that the trade was a team decision. “Like we’ve always said, all of us were on board,” Berry said. “Everyone’s on board and obviously with a big commitment in that regard, that’s always going to be the case.”
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland was met with mixed reactions from fans. Some were upset that the team signed a player with such a controversial past.
After Watson got hurt last year, the Browns signed Joe Flacco as a free agent, and the veteran quarterback helped lead them to a playoff spot.
The team’s decision not to bring back Flacco further angered Watson’s critics. Things came to a head last month when some Browns fans cheered when Watson got injured, a response that upset several of his teammates.
Berry was asked if this negative reaction would influence future quarterback decisions.
“We love our fans,” he said. “We know that they’re passionate and they love the team. As we make decisions organizationally, it’ll always be within what we think is in the best interest of the franchise.
Some of those will be popular, some of those will be unpopular, but that’s really the way that we’ll handle it.”
