Browns Linked to $19 Million QB, Former 1st-Rounder to Replace Watson

The Cleveland Browns have found something interesting in Jameis Winston, whose top trait as a quarterback may simply be that he isn’t Deshaun Watson.

Watson is out for the remainder of the regular season with a torn Achilles tendon, though ESPN’s Mina Kimes on Tuesday suggested that his time as the Browns’ starter is finished — regardless of the timing and/or success of his rehabilitation.

“There’s no … real benefit for [the Browns] from moving on from Deshaun Watson, but there’s no reason for them to play him at this point,” Kimes said on the most recent episode of “The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny” on December 3. “I think we can all safely say it’s over.”

While Kimes added that bringing back Winston — who threw for 497 yards, 4 TDs and 3 INTs in a 41-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football — on a mid-range contract may be the Browns’ best and most feasible option under center in 2025, her guest and ESPN colleague Dominique Foxworth had a different take altogether.

“Funny enough, the [Pittsburgh] Steelers would be an example you could look to, where it’s like maybe you could find someone,” Foxworth said. “That was an unusual situation that Russell Wilson became available, but like that would be an awesome opportunity. Maybe if Justin Fields becomes available again, something like that, combined with rookies.”

Justin Fields Will Be Affordable, Hunting Starting Job to Rebuild Value

The Chicago Bears selected Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

He started for three years in the Windy City until the franchise traded him to Pittsburgh for a conditional sixth-rounder ahead of this year, a decision the team made after deciding to move forward with top overall pick Caleb Williams as the quarterback of the future.

Fields was solid in six starts for the Steelers, earning a 4-2 record and accounting for 10 TDs compared to just 1 INT over that stretch. Pittsburgh eventually replaced Fields as the week-to-week starter with Wilson, though Fields has played some since reverting to second-string.

He is in the fourth and final year of his $19 million rookie contract and has a projected market value of $9.2 million annually on a new one-year deal, according to Spotrac.

Jameis Winston’s Erratic Play Style Could Be Problematic for Browns

Winston is on a one-year, $4 million deal, which is a good value for a player who can throw for 500 yards against one of the league’s top defenses as he did on Monday night.

However, his interceptions also led directly to two defensive touchdowns for the Broncos, which has always been the flip side of the Winston coin. As such, Foxworth was hesitant to jump on board with Kimes’ idea that Cleveland lean fully into the Winston experience with a new deal for him this offseason.

“I guess you sign Jameis, but Jameis to me — I feel like I’d rather have a lower ceiling, [higher] floor quarterback than Jameis. Or at least someone who I felt like could follow instructions,” Foxworth continued. “They’re gonna have to get lucky. They’re gonna have to do a Brock Purdy situation. Like, they’re just gonna have to get lucky and find someone somewhere to make the best of this situation, because it is a really good roster.”