The Cleveland Browns made a huge bet when they traded for Deshaun Watson.
It wasn’t just that they would have to give up a plethora of valuable assets to get a quarterback who had been out for a while and would most likely be suspended.
They also had to pay up and sign him to a huge contract extension, which, in hindsight, may have been a big mistake.
The Browns gave him a fully guaranteed extension worth a whopping $230 million.
Now, as Spotrac and NFL aggregator Dov Kleiman report, his cap hit for the upcoming campaign will be nearly 25% of the total salary cap, even though it was raised by $30 million in the offseason (via Dov Klieman on Twitter).
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson's $63.9M cap hit is 25 PERCENT of the league’s new salary cap🤯
(h/t @Spotrac) pic.twitter.com/d011kZPrda
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 25, 2024
Needless to say, the fans had plenty to say about this and took to Twitter to express their thoughts on Watson’s cap hit.
The worst contract ever 🤦🏽♂️
— DevinATL💯💯💯 (@Blac_Knight007) February 25, 2024
And he’s the second-best QB on the team
— Primetime (@primetimesc2) February 25, 2024
What a waste of money 💰
— Wiseguy𝕏 (@wiseguyinsider) February 25, 2024
And he doesn’t even play! 🤣🤣🤣
— Lord Dan Val (@LordDanVal) February 25, 2024
Fleeced
— To Be Decided (@TheReal_Pino) February 25, 2024
Of course, we all know what Watson is capable of when he’s at his best, and he had the best game of his stint with the team before suffering a season-ending injury.
But he hasn’t been able to stay on the field consistently for the better part of the past three years, either because of his legal situation, a suspension, or injuries.
The clock is starting to tick on the Clemson product.
The fans are starting to lose their patience, and rightfully so, and he will be under a lot of pressure to deliver next season, especially after watching Joe Flacco leave his couch to lead this team to the playoffs the year prior.
NEXT: Reporter Notes Browns Could Still Cut Key Starter
