The Cleveland Browns are still reeling from the Deshaun Watson trade years ago, so much so that he has forced his way into the quarterback picture for the 2026 season despite the fact that his tenure with this team has been one exercise in nauseam after another.
Watson's contract has many outside observers wondering exactly why he is still around, apparently ignorant of the fact that Cleveland's insane financial commitment to the most toxic asset in the business has left them trapped.
ESPN's Dan Graziano listed the Browns' decision to keep Watson around as one of the biggest remaining unanswered questions that continue to linger over the 2026 offseason. Graziano may need a quick refresher on how bad the Browns' financial situation is on the books, almost exclusively as a result of this contract.
Watson will be paid $46 million this season, regardless of whether he is on the team or not. On top of the egregious dead cap hit that he also carries, this albatross contract is not only going to claim the tenure of one coach in Kevin Stefanski, but it could also help Todd Monken stumble out of the gate due to his poor play under center.
Browns keeping Deshaun Watson named puzzling offseason decision by ESPN
Trading three first-round picks and more for a player who had over a dozen active lawsuits at the time was bad enough. Giving that player a fully guaranteed contract was a precedent-setting move that even some of the best players in the league failed to secure. Watching him decline as rapidly as he did made things even worse.
Watson has not been anything even resembling a below-average quarterback since he arrived in Cleveland, as he consistently ranked as one of the worst performers at his position in the league. With limited mobility as a result of his torn Achilles, Watson is the biggest anchor any NFL team has around its neck.
The Browns may be willing to give him one last shot at being anything better than unwatchable dreck, but with three young players in Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green waiting in the wings, Todd Monken may have a very quick hook.
The Browns made such a colossal error with Watson that they alienated a good portion of their fanbase, forced owner Jimmy Haslam to apologize, ruined one coach's tenure, and may set a second one up for failure. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
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