As the 2025/26 NFL season draws near, the Cleveland Browns are staring down a familiar and frustrating possibility of being another year without quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Following a second Achilles tear that required surgery in January, Watson‘s status for the upcoming season is uncertain and growing whispers suggest it may not just be a season-ending injury, but a career-altering one in Cleveland.
The re-injury of his right Achilles tendon, along with a long list of recent ailments, including a rotator cuff tear and a fractured shoulder blade, has fueled speculation that the Browns may be ready to pivot away from the embattled quarterback, who has barely taken the field since arriving in Cleveland via a massive trade and historic contract.
Since Watson joined the Browns in 2022, he’s appeared in just 19 games over four seasons.
The expectations were enormous following his fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal, but the results have been underwhelming both statistically and from a leadership standpoint.
According to Mike Florio, senior analyst at ProFootballTalk, the writing may already be on the wall.
“He sure as hell wants to [play],” Florio said. “They’d love for him not to play; they have an insurance policy if he’s unable to play because of his twice-torn Achilles tendon. They get back a lot of cash, they recover a lot of space, and they really don’t need him. They’ve got four quarterbacks.”
Browns have QB depth and flexibility
The Browns loaded up on quarterbacks this offseason, preparing for life without Watson whether temporarily or permanently. Veteran Joe Flacco is back on a one-year deal. Kenny Pickett, once the hopeful starter in Pittsburgh, is attempting a rebound season. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson remains a developmental project, and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders-brimming with upside-is pushing to prove himself as more than a camp body.
If Watson sits out the full year, the Browns would effectively have paid him $230 million for, at most, 19 games of inconsistent play and a revolving door of injuries. At that point, the team could lean into its insurance protections. Watson is due $46 million in both 2025 and 2026, but if the injury is deemed career-ending or keeps him sidelined long enough, Cleveland can recoup significant salary cap and cash relief.
Even Florio believes Watson‘s next opportunity might not come in Cleveland, even if he’s able to play again.
“I tend to think he will be somewhere, somehow,” Florio said. “But it’s most likely going to be with a different team, probably somewhere as a backup, who ends up in a game at some point and has a chance to prove that he’s still got some of that magic that made him the guy that looked like he could have been MVP.”
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