With the 2026 season still months away and Deshaun Watson not having played a meaningful snap since 2024, the idea of a contract extension seems far-fetched to most Browns fans. But Cleveland reporter Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com is reporting that the possibility is very much on the table if Watson plays at a high level this season.
The scenario hinges entirely on performance, but it is real.
“If Watson returns to his Pro Bowl form and plays like he did in Houston six years ago, the Browns would consider extending him after this season. Browns GM Andrew Berry said as much at the NFL owners meetings last week,” Cabot wrote.
When the Browns originally traded for Watson in 2022, the vision was that he would be their long-term solution at the position. Cleveland surrendered three first-round picks and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million. Injuries, suspensions, and inconsistency shattered that vision, but the underlying belief in what Watson could be has apparently not been completely abandoned by the front office.
Watson is currently in South Florida throwing to Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Jamari Thrash as he prepares for the start of Cleveland’s offseason program. By all accounts he is healthy, in the best physical condition he has been in for years, and motivated to prove that the version of him that led the league in passing in 2020 still exists somewhere.
In four seasons with the Texans before his suspension, Watson completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 14,539 yards with 104 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. In three seasons with the Browns he has completed just 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 19 starts.
This would be a comeback story for the ages if Watson is able to pull it off. But the Browns are not ruling it out.
First, he has to beat out Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel for the starting job.
Nothing else matters until that happens.
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