In hindsight, the Cleveland Browns made a big mistake with Deshaun Watson’s contract.
Whatever the case, giving him a fully guaranteed, five-year deal worth $230 million seemed risky then, and things look much worse right now.
Even so, the team continues to have his back, at least publicly, and chances are they will never admit any fault or regret about that decision.
Moreover, GM Andrew Berry, while non-commital to Watson, also didn’t shut the door on a potential return.
As much as the fans have already expressed their discontent with their quarterback, the financial aspect makes it very difficult for the team to move on from him.
As pointed out by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, the Browns are in a tough spot because of the contract they gave him:
“The Browns have a mess with the Watson contract. They owe him $92 million through 2026. The cap charges are unprecedented — $72 million in 2025, $72 million in 2026, and $26.9 million in 2027 (after the contract expires),” Florio wrote.
He believes that regardless of how people feel about it, the Browns could still look to run it back with Watson behind center, mainly because they don’t seem to have another choice.
Watson hasn’t played up to the level one would expect from a starting-caliber quarterback, and he’s also suffered two season-ending injuries in three seasons since he joined the team.
More worryingly, the fans clearly don’t want to wait for him anymore.
This team is talented enough to make a deep postseason run, but their quarterback situation continues to hold them back.
Whether the team will do anything about that remains to be seen, but there aren’t easy decisions to make right now.
