Browns Expected To Bring In Competition For Deshaun Watson Next Year

Albert Breer reported on Thursday Night Football that Browns QB Deshaun Watson has undergone surgery for the Achilles tear he suffered this season and is currently focusing on his rehab at this point.

Even so, it’s unlikely Watson will be ready to practice next season, so they’re gonna need some depth at quarterback. 

Breer says that the overwhelming likelihood is that Watson will be on the Browns’ roster next year. However, Breer reports that the Browns plan to bring in competition for Watson next year either through free agency or the draft.

This is a departure from the Browns’ prior approach in which they allowed Joe Flacco to walk in free agency and signed Jameis Winston to be the clear backup this season.

Watson is owed $92 million fully guaranteed over the next two years which comes with $172.77 million in cap hits, so it’s not like there’s an easy out for Cleveland.

Watson, 29, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, and then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games. 

Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as a part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons. 

In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 61.3 percent of his pass attempts for 1,020 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.