A new revelation from Jarvis Landry sheds light on Deshaun Watson's move to Cleveland. On his new podcast, the former Browns receiver detailed how close Watson came to joining the Atlanta Falcons. The story involves direct talks with the Falcons' former coach.

The hosts said Watson spoke with then-Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith about his potential role with the team.

“I get a call one day from a random number. I didn't answer the phone. I get a text and he was like, 'Yo it's D4.' So I call him back and it's Deshaun... We talk for like 15 minutes about Atlanta. Next, you know, I'm like, 'Yeah, bro I'm with it. I know somebody else would probably with it too [Fournette].' Let's start a group text. I am on the phone for like 3-4 days, every day with Arthur Smith, and he telling me how he's going to be using me and my agent in on it too."

This was a revelation for most fans, especially since Arthur Blank, the Falcons team-owner, stated the team was simply exploring what their options were.

However, at the time, even ESPN corroborated the same, apparently discussing the idea with Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette, who were both free agents, over FaceTime. And the move made sense for Watson.

As a Georgia native, he grew up as a Falcons fan. And he was putting up strong numbers. In the 2020 season, Watson had 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns for the Texans. They weren't superstar numbers, but he could have been a reliable replacement for Matt Ryan, who was the quarterback for the Falcons at the time. But it didn't materialize!

“I wake up the next day, breaking news! ‘Deshaun Watson signing for the Cleveland Browns,’” Landry shared.  

And No One Had Expected the Implications of This Trade

The Browns signed Watson for five years and gave him a massive, guaranteed $230 million paycheck. Watson was expected to be their new star quarterback. But it wouldn't go so well.

Franchise owner Jimmy Haslam went as far as to call him a “swing and a miss” trade early in 2024 when the Browns finished with a 4-13 record.

Since then, the management skipped through Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel and still haven’t found a franchise QB. While head coach Todd Monken has said Watson and Sanders must prove themselves in an “open competition,” there are rumors of trade and new draft picks.

As a result, the management has restructured Watson’s contract, reducing his 2026 salary cap hit by more than $35.7 million.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar