The fight to secure a franchise quarterback for the  Cleveland Browns has begun. And one expert is adamant that Deshaun Watson should leave for good.

In Thursday’s episode of The Tony Rizzo Show, Aaron Goldhammer opined that Watson stood no chance of ever returning to the franchise after his disastrous stint with the franchise.

“What bothers me is, even by Browns standards, he played horrendously as a quarterback,” Goldhammer stated. 

To which host Anthony Rizzo asked: “So, he can’t make it up?”

And the answer might be yes, since franchise owner Jimmy Haslam publicly called his trade a “swing-and-a-miss.” The 30-year-old quarterback signed a fully guaranteed five-year contract for a hefty $230 million, but played in only 19 games. 

And while his two Achilles injuries have contributed significantly to his absence, Watson wasn’t impressive on the field while he was healthy and active.

In 2024, the year he sustained his injuries, Watson started in seven games and scored five touchdowns. 

He threw three interceptions for 1,148 yards. In the preceding two seasons, he played 12 games collectively and scored seven touchdowns in each year. 

His mediocre performances have been well matched by rookie Shedeur Sanders, who threw seven touchdowns for 1,400 yards. In fact, another rookie, Dillon Gabriel, has outperformed them both with seven touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Tony Rizzo Believes That Deshaun Watson Deserves a Second Chance

He even drew a comparison between Watson and Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks’ QB, and the 2025 Super Bowl champion. 

“You so are stuck in the past, I can’t,” he told Goldhammer.

“Do you know there is a GM in Minnesota who lost his job cause he thought the same way about Sam Darnold.”

But this statement did not sit well with Goldhammer, who called it a “false equivalent,” and Darnol was only 14 games in.

Moreover, Darnold played 17 games with the Minnesota Vikings and scored 35 touchdowns for 4,319 yards. Darnold’s exit from the Vikings was solely due to mismanagement and not a reflection of his performance.

Watson, on the flip side, does not compare to Darnold. So maybe the Browns should not offer him another contract. But what they will do is yet to be seen.

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu