Deshaun Watson may never play quarterback for the Browns again, whether he is able to or not. This offseason, they have already traded for Kenny Pickett and brought back Joe Flacco. But the starting point has to be health, and he isn’t healthy. While he hasn’t shown much ability lately, the best ability is still availability.
As recently as yesterday, the Browns confirmed that they don’t have any clarification on Deshaun Watson. The former Pro Bowler tore his Achilles last season and later aggravated that tear. The aggravation put his status in question for the 2025 season, on which there is no clarity.
“It’s too early to say”, Browns GM Andrew Berry said, whether Deshaun Watson could play next season, via Michael David Smith writing for Pro Football Talk. “I can say Deshaun has done a great job of rehabbing. He’s been in every day. He’s progressing and that’s really our focus, but it’s too early to say”.
The Browns made such a bad move to trade for Deshaun Watson that it’s being called the worst trade in the history of the National Football League. They gave up three first-round picks and signed him to a $230 million contract, which is fully guaranteed. There is a slight caveat to that, though, which is worth going into.
For about 20 years or so, NFL teams have had the ability to buy injury insurance on players in their contracts, which, under certain terms, grant them salary cap benefits for time missed due to injury. The Browns were able to claim some cap space back due to Watson’s 2023 injury. They should be eligible for his 2024 injury, as well, and it would be in their best financial interest for him to miss the entire 2025 season for that reason, as well.
Such injury insurance is still rare—not all teams do it, the Steelers being among them, and few teams take out insurance on more than one player, typically a massive quarterback contract. It is becoming widespread enough that some in NFL circles want to remove the salary cap relief from it. The Browns certainly hope that doesn’t happen any time soon, due to Deshaun Watson.
A former first-round pick, former Pro Bowler, and former rising star, Watson has become one of the most disliked athletes in American sports. Not only has his popularity tanked, he also no longer appears to be a good football player. Some might argue that the Browns deserved this as karma for paying a sultan’s ransom to a man accused of being a sexual predator. Accused with enough conviction that he was suspended for 11 games.
Watson will turn 30 in October. Over the past four years, he has only thrown 557 passes for 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Out of 68 possible games, he has only played in 19, including 51 possible games for the Browns. While he is confident he will be back better than ever, few are actually rooting for that.
