If you go back six months or so, it would have seemed reasonable to project that the Cleveland Browns might not have Deshaun Watson on the roster at all in 2026. The only thing that appeared to be keeping him around was the team’s past decisions to restructure his fateful $230 million contract, pushing money into the future that the team was not in position to absorb into the salary cap structure.
Go back a month-and-a-half and it seemed reasonable, after Watson’s dreadful press conference following the second preseason game, that the team could cut him then and make him an NFL free agent
Browns Were on the Brink of Benching Deshaun Watson
In fact, if you go back just three weeks, there were legitimate reports–from Cleveland.com, from ESPN–that Watson was playing for his job when the team went to Tampa Bay to face Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers in Week 2. If the Browns had lost, Watson was to be benched and Shedeur Sanders would have gotten his chance. The Browns likely would have played out the year with Watson in the QB room, but without him as a real option to play.
But a three-game winning streak changes things. For Watson and the Browns, perhaps a lot of things. Not only has Watson secured his job so far this season, but now there is a report that the Browns could keep him around past this season.
Browns Keeping Options Open
The report comes from longtime team insider Mary Kay Cabot, who writes of Watson, “All options are the on the table in regards to his future with the Browns.”
She also writes that GM Andrew Berry originally envisioned Watson being the Browns’ quarterback for a decade. That could yet be the case: “If he continues to play well — he’s currently No. 8 in the NFL with a 101.2 rating — the Browns will consider re-signing him after the season. The season is still young and a lot can happen, but Watson has demonstrated that he’s got plenty left in the tank and is flourishing under Todd Monken.”
Deshaun Watson Could Walk, or Come Back
Again, considering the number of times the Browns appeared ready to find the off-ramp on the Watson era, this would be a stunning turn of events. Keeping Watson would likely mean that Sanders does not come back to the Browns, nor 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. It would raise questions, too, about whether the Browns would pursue a quarterback in the 2027 draft, when the team has two first-round picks.
Cabot mentioned that keeping Watson would not necessarily mean handing him another five-year deal. He could sign a so-called “bridge” contract for a short term while they develop rookie Taylen Green or whomever they draft next year, if that’s the path they choose.
She noted: “The Browns can either let Watson walk and sign with another team, sign him to short-term bridge QB contract, or sign him to another multi-year deal. If he takes them to the playoffs this season, the Browns will certainly try to re-sign or extend him.”
Browns Stunning Contract Move on Deshaun Watson ‘On the Table’