For the past couple of years, the Cleveland Browns and their fans have seemingly been counting down the days until they are able to move on from Deshaun Watson. The quarterback’s lackluster performance when he even managed to get on the field, combined with his burdensome record-breaking contract, wore out his welcome almost as soon as he arrived.
Watson has epically failed to live up to the fully guaranteed $230 million deal he received, not to mention the plethora of valuable draft picks the Browns gave up to acquire him in a trade with the Houston Texans during the 2022 offseason. Now, despite his departure looking likely following this season, he may actually stick around a while longer.
When asked about Watson’s future, Browns general manager Andrew Berry did not rule out continuing that relationship with a contract extension.
“We’re probably just more focused on performance and best players,” Berry said. “Certainly time horizon factors into that, but just with any veteran player [like Deshaun Watson], there’s no rule against extending the player’s contract if they perform and they do well. So I wouldn’t necessarily box it into any one approach. It really will be performance-based.”
Watson’s five-year contract is set to expire after this season, which would make him a free agent. However, his salary cap burden will continue beyond that due to the Browns’ annual restructuring of the contract that pushed some of its obligations down the road. He likely would have been off the team long before this if not for the restrictions of his deal.
Due to an NFL suspension given as a result of sexual assault allegations he was facing, and because of two season-ending injuries he suffered, Watson has played in just 19 of 68 possible games for the Browns. Though he showed glimpses of his former Pro Bowl form, his performance in those games has left a lot to be desired.
Despite all of that, Watson has a good chance to be the Browns’ starting quarterback this season. As of now, he will only face a challenge from Shedeur Sanders in the open competition for the job, after Sanders had an unimpressive rookie year.
Berry said that if Watson earns the job and plays well, the Browns could make an effort to re-sign him. Based on his history, he may not have any other suitors around the NFL, making an extended stay a real possibility.
It will be interesting to see how Browns fans react if Watson plays well and gets Cleveland to the playoffs this season, and what they think about keeping him around if he does.
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