Want more from Front Office Sports
in your search results?
The Browns are winning. Deshaun Watson is doing his part in that. The team and its ownership finally have something to show for the fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract that the Browns handed to the quarterback after trading for him in 2022.
For now, that is plenty to absorb. It is a striking turnaround after Watson arrived in Cleveland amid the controversy of the sexual misconduct allegations made in more than two dozen civil lawsuits filed against him by women for his behavior during massage therapy sessions while he was with the Texans, then endured four seasons of injuries, disappointing on-field results, and issues with Browns fans that spilled over into this preseason.
But soon, the question will become: What does all of this mean for Watson’s NFL future and his next contract, whether it’s with the Browns or another team?
“I have no guess on how that ends up,” an agent not involved in Watson’s representation told Front Office Sports. “There is so much that goes into that. Will he stay healthy? Will he keep playing like this? How many games will they win? And then, if he’s available [in free agency], the off-field issues will factor in, for some teams more than others.”
The agent and others spoke to FOS about Watson’s pending contract situation on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the off-field issues surrounding him and because of professional protocols about discussing a player represented by another agent or, in the case of team officials, under contract to another team.
The Browns are on a three-game winning streak and, at 3-1, are tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North entering their game Sunday against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. The three wins during the streak have come by a combined 10 points. Watson is surrounded by promising young talent on offense and is the NFL’s seventh-rated passer, putting him one spot behind Patrick Mahomes and one spot ahead of Josh Allen.
That’s the sort of quarterbacking company that Watson kept when he was selected to three Pro Bowls in his first four NFL seasons in Houston and led the league in passing yards in 2020. But while he’s been with the Browns? Not so much.
“He’s playing decent,” a high-ranking official with another NFL team told FOS. “I certainly wouldn’t call him an elite guy at this point. But he’s obviously playing at a level you can win with.”
Todd Monken, the Browns’ first-year coach, chose Watson as the season-opening starter over second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders, even after an unsettling episode in which Watson called being booed by Cleveland fans during a preseason game “disrespectful.”
Monken is a respected offensive coach who is coming off a stint working with Lamar Jackson as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. It also has helped that the Browns have a pair of impressive rookie wide receivers in Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion.
A Decision Looms
Watson turned 31 last month and is scheduled to be a free agent next spring. His contract has been renegotiated and now contains a series of voidable years. He is owed a guaranteed $46 million for this season. But his base salary was reduced to $1.3 million, the league minimum for a player of his experience level, as part of a contract reworking.
Watson’s agent, David Mulugheta, did not respond to a request for comment by FOS.
The Browns will have to decide whether to attempt to re-sign him or move on after this season. They have Sanders and rookie quarterback Taylen Green on their roster; second-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel is currently on the injured reserve list. The Browns also have a pair of first-round picks—their own and one obtained from the Rams in the Myles Garrett trade—in next spring’s NFL Draft, which could be overflowing with quarterback talent.
If Watson is available as a free agent, teams would have to weigh his on-field revival and the sustainability of it, along with off-field considerations about his past.
“That’s an ownership decision,” a former NFL head coach told FOS. “You make a football decision. The rest of it is up to the owner.”
A Long Road Back
For now, it’s about the turnaround in Cleveland. Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters at the annual league meeting in March 2025 that the team “took a big swing and miss with Deshaun.”
Haslam said then: “We thought we had the quarterback. We didn’t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.”
Watson served an 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He denied the allegations against him and was not charged with a crime. Watson reached settlements with almost all of his accusers.
He played in six games for the Browns in the 2022 season and six more in 2023 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He played in seven games in 2024 before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right leg. Watson had a second surgery in January 2025 after re-rupturing the tendon and missed all of last season.
Download the FOS App
The business of sports, in your pocket.
Scan the QR code to get the app now.
