Deshaun Watson might be able to win the starting job for the Cleveland Browns this season but the polarizing former Pro Bowler faces an uncertain future beyond this year.
Watson is heading into the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract he signed upon arriving in Cleveland back in 2022. At this point, it’s hard to see the blockbuster trade for Watson as anything but a disappointment. Many have dubbed it among the worst transactions in NFL history.
Watson has appeared in just 19 games, going 9-10 in his starts. When he has been on the field, Watson has not resembled the Pro Bowl quarterback he was previously with the Houston Texans. Watson has passed for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in a Browns uniform.
Even if Watson wins the job this season, Browns reporter Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland believes he’s more of a bridge to next year and unlikely to return.
“Consider Watson a one-year bridge quarterback to 2027. He will not be back after 2026,” Grossi said in his latest Q&A column. “If Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel wins the QB competition, fine. Maybe one of them is the QB who will take the Browns to the next level. If not, they look toward the 2027 draft and Watson moves on. Playing Watson in 2026 does not mean the Browns are re-upping him in 2027.”
Browns Addressed Deshaun Watson’s Future
Sanders — and to a lesser extent Gabriel — represent cost-controlled, long-term upside. Watson represents the opposite: a massive financial commitment with little return to this point. That tension defines Cleveland’s quarterback dilemma to chase wins now or invest in a younger — albeit uncertain — timeline.
The Browns have been clear about how they plan to navigate it. General manager Andrew Berry has repeatedly emphasized that the competition won’t be dictated by contracts or draft status — just performance.
That said, the door isn’t shut on Watson sticking around. If he wins the job and produces, the conversation shifts quickly from exit plan to extension.
“Certainly time horizon factors into that, but just with any veteran player, there’s no rule against extending the player’s contract if they perform and they do well,” Berry said. “So I wouldn’t necessarily box it into any one approach.”
Deshaun Watson Has Early Lead in Browns QB Competition
The Browns have had limited offseason work. However, Watson has taken the lead in the battle for the starting job, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
“Deshaun Watson emerged from the Browns’ voluntary minicamp last week with an edge over Shedeur Sanders in the two-man quarterback competition — and has the inside track to be named the Browns QB1,” Cabot said.
Watson should be thriving in the offseason workout environment. He’s a former first-round pick with a significant experience edge over Sanders, and in a no-contact, no-pad setting, that should show up.
But the real questions haven’t gone anywhere. Watson hasn’t played in over a year, and projecting practice performance into live action is an entirely different conversation. He’s coming off three surgeries in two years, including two on his Achilles.
History isn’t on his side. Plenty of quarterbacks have struggled to regain form after a single Achilles tear. Watson is trying to come back from two.
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