The Cleveland Browns opened the observe window for quarterback Deshaun Watson this week, creating the chance that he might play sooner or later earlier than the tip of the 2025 season.
Even with that transfer, His return to the sphere this season appears unlikely given the Browns’ need to get prolonged appears at rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. However he might be again because the workforce’s quarterback in 2026, as each ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday night that the Browns plan on having him on their roster subsequent season, and will even use him as a possible beginning quarterback.
Bringing Deshaun Watson again subsequent season is the one sensible alternative Browns have
Whereas that looks as if an enormous growth, the Browns actually should not have every other alternative however to carry Watson again subsequent season because of the wage cap ramifications that would come from buying and selling or releasing him.
When the Browns initially acquired Watson from the Houston Texans — in what has develop into one of many worst trades in NFL historical past — they signed him to a totally assured five-year, $230 million contract extension.
If the Browns had been to launch him earlier than June 1, it will include a lifeless cap quantity in 2026 of $135 million, which might devastate their capacity to construct a roster.
In the event that they had been to launch him with a post-June 1 designation, it will be a $53 million wage cap cost.
That can be removed from splendid, and would rival the dead-cap cost the Denver Broncos took on after they launched Russell Wilson two years in the past.
Since becoming a member of the Browns in the beginning of the 2022 season, Watson has appeared in simply 19 video games and performed like one of many worst quarterbacks in soccer when on the sphere. He has missed the entire 2025 season because of an Achilles harm after which a further setback throughout his restoration.
Whereas he’s more likely to be on the roster subsequent season, the Browns shouldn’t be relying on him to be any form of main contributor. They need to not attempt to pressure it, both. He’s going to be 31 years previous subsequent season, and when holdouts, suspensions and accidents are added up, he has appeared in simply 19 video games for the reason that finish of the 2020 season. That’s a variety of soccer to overlook, and there may be just about no likelihood he’s going to offers the Browns what they want.
Their most suitable option is to easily hold him on the roster to keep away from the wage cap issues that include releasing him, and both hope that considered one of this yr’s rookie quarterbacks develops or that they will land a greater possibility on the prime of the 2026 NFL Draft.
