The only certainty about Deshaun Watson’s future with the Browns is that they owe him US$92-million over the next two years.
Everything else about the quarterback is up in the air.
At his annual bye-week news conference, general manager Andrew Berry was mostly non-committal about Watson on Wednesday, saying he hasn’t ruled out the divisive QB coming back to play for Cleveland in 2025 despite another significant injury, three disappointing seasons and a split fan base.
Watson is recovering from a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon sustained on Oct. 20 in a loss to Cincinnati. That, along with Watson being among the lowest-rated quarterbacks in the NFL this season, has led to speculation about how – or if – he fits in with the Browns, who made a franchise-altering trade to acquire him in 2022.
Berry was asked directly if Watson will play for Cleveland again.
“That’s always possible,” Berry said, leaving the door open for other options.
With eight games left in a season the Browns (2-7) expected to include the playoffs, Berry said this isn’t the time to look beyond the remaining schedule or dwell on the past but rather focus on the team getting better.
And that holds true for Watson as well.
“Really our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury, is first and foremost with the recovery and to make sure that he gets healthy from the Achilles injury,” Berry said. “Everything else we’ll deal with at a later moment.”
While Berry can say that publicly, it’s reasonable to assume the Browns are planning ahead for life with or without Watson, who is in the “very, very early” stages of his rehab, the GM said. There’s not a moment to spare in scouting potential QBs in next year’s draft class or bridging the gap until they find a franchise QB.
That was supposed to be Watson. It hasn’t worked out.
The team’s decision to trade three-first round draft picks to the Houston Texans and then sign the 29-year-old Watson by offering him a fully guaranteed, five-year US$230-million contract has backfired.