When the Cleveland Browns signed Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million deal in 2022, it was viewed as a contract that could come back to hurt them one day.
After posting 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and 7 interceptions for the Houston Texans in 2020, Watson hasn’t done half of that with the Browns. In 12 games over his first two seasons in Cleveland, he’s combined for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. For a player with the most guaranteed money in the NFL, Watson has put the Browns in a tough spot at the quarterback position.
But, perhaps there’s a way out of it, according to Marissa Myers of The Wright Way Network, part of the USA Today Sports Digital Properties group of websites. She predicted in an unattributed speculative blog post that Watson would be traded to the New York Giants.
“Things haven’t exactly worked out for Deshaun Watson since being traded to the Cleveland Browns, leading to their offense staying stagnant and not being able to get to where they can be,” Myers wrote on August 2. “Cleveland needs a reset, and that starts with trading Watson.
“The New York Giants are in a spot where they need to have a successful season as Brian Daboll could be on the hot seat, same with the rest of the coaching staff. Since giving Daniel Jones his extension he has not lived up to expectations and has held the Giants back on offense. They can’t afford the time to see if he can fully develop into their franchise quarterback or not, making it essential to trade for a better quarterback.”
Watson is under contract with the Browns through the 2026 season with over $190 million in guaranteed money owed to him, per Spotrac. There is no existing reporting to suggest another NFL team would take on Watson’s record-breaking contract.
Watson Called Out on Multiple Fronts
Watson was suspended for 11 games and fined $5 million following a settlement between the NFL and NFLPA. He was suspended for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The Clemson product has been the center of attention over the past few years as more than two dozen women said he harassed or assaulted them during massage appointments. More than two dozen civil lawsuits against him were settled in confidential agreements.
He spoke about his character getting “challenged,” having the following to say, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
“My character was getting challenged,” Watson said. “I know who I am, and a lot of people never really knew my history. I knew who I really was, so they’re going based off other people’s opinions and whatever other people are saying.
“But yeah, I’m a person. I like to have people like me, and I feel like a lot of people are like that. So sometimes things are in your brain, you just gotta turn and just gotta forget it. It is what it is.”
Lloyd, however, believes that Watson is acting like a victim and that he “brought this all on himself.”
“But two years later, he still can’t understand why people may not like him? Or understand why the community has been slow to embrace him? Really?
“The uncomfortable truth in all of this is that if Watson can stay healthy and return to the form he showed in Houston — if he can thrive in this new offense — many Browns fans will eventually embrace him,” Lloyd wrote on July 29. “Winning is a deodorant, as Stefanski has often said.”
Browns Have the Weapons for Watson to Succeed
The Cleveland Browns have weapons on both sides of the football. Offensively, Watson has more than enough to figure it out with Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, and others.
After Joe Flacco took over this team last year when Watson got hurt and found success, Watson needs to do something similar for the Browns to have the season they’re looking to have.
If he can be what he once was, the Browns look to be in a good position, similar to what they did when Flacco was playing. He carried the team to four straight wins and a playoff birth. Watson, for what he’s getting paid, needs to do something similar.
