Getty QB Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
Now matter how the upcoming season plays out, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is gonna get his money — all $230 million of it.
However, just because Cleveland has to pay Watson a massive amount over the next three years, that doesn’t mean they have to start him — or even keep him on the roster — for the duration of his deal.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Friday, April 5 suggested that another bad and/or mostly absentee campaign for Watson in Cleveland could lead to a series of tough financial decisions culminating in the quarterback’s exit from the organization.
The question becomes how much longer will they stick with him as the starter if he doesn’t turn the clock back to 2020 or earlier? Will they keep him in the QB1 role simply because of the investment they made? Or will they do something like what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson, biting the bullet in order to move forward?
The Broncos are taking $85 million in dead-money charges over the next two years after cutting Wilson, and they’re paying him $39 million in 2024 (less the $1.21 million he’ll make in Pittsburgh). Would the Browns consider making Watson a post-June 1 release next March? They’d still owe him $92 million in cash, less whatever he makes elsewhere. They’d take a cap charge of $63.977 million in 2025 and $72.961 million in 2026.
Deshaun Watson Confident Browns Can Deliver in Big Way if He Remains on Field for Full Season
GettyBrowns quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Cleveland would clearly prefer to avoid that outcome after surrendering three first-round picks and several other draft assets to acquire Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022.
Beyond that, cutting ties with the QB would necessitate even more spending at the position over the final two years of Watson’s contract and would also be an admission that the move to acquire him was a catastrophic mistake.
For his part, Watson was confident when speaking to media members earlier this week. He made the promise of delivering “special things” if he can remain on the field for a full season in 2024. Watson has played in just six games in each of the past two campaigns, first due to an NFL suspension and then due to injury.
“I’m passionate about getting out there on the field and being a success so we can bring that championship back to Cleveland where it belongs,” Watson said Thursday, per Camryn Justice of WEWS Cleveland. “I’m gonna do whatever I need to on and off the field to be able to have that goal achieved.”
Browns Have Loaded Roster With Multiple Capable Backup QBs Behind Deshaun Watson
GettyCleveland Browns backup quarterback Jameis Winston.
If Watson is unable to do whatever it takes to stay healthy and productive, the Browns have purchased layers of preparedness behind him.
The first is a $4 million deal for former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston. The second is a $1.3 million contract for former Baltimore Ravens starter and Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley. Second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who started three games as a rookie, is also under contract for the next three seasons.
“The good news for the Browns is they’re good. Very good, actually. The bad news is that they’d be even better if they hadn’t gotten drunk on the notion that [Watson] would take them to the promised land,” Florio wrote. “There’s a chance that his presence — and the draft picks they lost to get him — will be the thing that keeps an otherwise Super Bowl-ready team from getting there. There’s also a chance he’ll be the difference between a wild-card exit and a deep playoff run.”