Deshaun Watson’s future with the Cleveland Browns has mostly been framed as an ending.
He is entering the final year of his $230 million fully guaranteed contract, and his tenure in Cleveland has been defined more by injuries, missed games, and frustration than anything close to franchise-altering. But there is at least one scenario where Watson’s time in Cleveland does not end after this season.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com laid out what it would take during a recent episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. Watson would need to stay healthy, win games and play like a top-half NFL starter.
“I think he would probably have to be a top 16 or 17 quarterback, somebody that could take you to the playoffs and contend for the playoffs and help this young offense pull it all together and go out and be explosive,” Cabot said.
Cabot pointed back to Watson’s best years with the Houston Texans, when he was a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks.
“If he can be something like he was in Houston, when he made three Pro Bowls and took the team to the playoffs multiple times, then maybe you’re on to something,” Cabot said.
Deshaun Watson Has Been Major Disappointment With Browns
Even when healthy, Watson has not performed near a Pro Bowl level since arriving in Cleveland. Injuries have played a larger role in that, with Watson appearing in just 19 games. His 2023 season was cut short by shoulder surgery. His 2024 season ended with a ruptured Achilles. He later suffered another Achilles setback and missed all of last season.
“I can say that now. I’m fully healthy, ready to go,” Watson said on June 10. “This last year I was able to conquer that. And I’ll just say I haven’t really been 100% since that Tennessee game in ’23.”
Cabot added that Watson is “definitely not the same quarterback right now that he was in Houston.” But the long-time insider also left the door open on an extension.
“It’s a big, pivotal year for him,” Cabot said. “And I know a lot of people don’t necessarily want to hear that, but if he’s playing winning ball and he’s playing explosive offense, then I think that could change some minds.”
Browns Fans Have Made Their Feelings on Deshaun Watson Clear
A Watson extension would be a hard sell in Cleveland. Many Browns fans are done with the Watson experience. The frustration spilled out in ugly fashion the last time Watson was on the field. Some fans booed after he ruptured his Achilles against the Cincinnati Bengals, a reaction that drew criticism from several players in the locker room. Watson addressed that reception during minicamp.
“At the end of the day, I can’t control what people support,” Watson said. “I think that’s their own opinions. I think that all I can do is just put out the best person I am, showcase who I am as a person, as a player, as a teammate, and what I represent as an individual. So outside of that, I can’t focus on what the outside is saying or what they — I have no control over that other than just putting out the best product that I can put out as a person and as a player.”
He also knows the fan dynamic could become complicated if he wins the starting job over Shedeur Sanders, who has brought a different kind of energy to Cleveland’s quarterback room and already has a strong following.
“Like I said, I can’t control what the fans and how they approach me or approach any other person that walks out there,” Watson said. “At the end of the day, when I step in between the lines, I gotta lock in on the task at hand. And that’s just winning and being successful.”
For Watson, the path to keeping his NFL career alive is simple: win the job and win games. Anything short of that could make his future in the league far more complicated.
Deshaun Watson Could Force Browns Into Tough Call