NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Sep 7, 2025 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson 4 during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250907_jhp_bk4_0465
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Sep 7, 2025 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson 4 during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250907_jhp_bk4_0465
Jan 7, 2026, 12:00 PM CUT
Jimmy Haslam Critical Over Deshaun Watson as Concerns Raised over Franchise QB's Future
The Browns are looking for a QB to help them in 2026. Keeping that in mind, Jimmy Haslam's comments on Deshaun Watson hint that he might not be the one.
After firing Kevin Stefanski, the Browns owner answered a question about the former Texans QB. And he didn't mince his words over the trade of the QB.
“I mean, I don’t think we need to cover it again. I mean, I said it. You know, when you trade for a player, and you give up three number ones and two number threes, that really depletes your ability to raise the roster. So, did it have impact? Yes.”
NFL, American Football Herren, USA New York Giants at Cleveland Browns Sep 22, 2024 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson 4 after the game against the New York Giants at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xScottxGalvinx 20240922_sns_bg7_00312
NFL, American Football Herren, USA New York Giants at Cleveland Browns Sep 22, 2024 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson 4 after the game against the New York Giants at Huntington Bank Field. Cleveland Huntington Bank Field Ohio USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xScottxGalvinx 20240922_sns_bg7_00312
The Browns traded for Watson from the Houston Texans in 2018. In return for Watson (plus a 2024 sixth-round pick), they gave the Texans three first-round picks (2022, 2023, 2024), a third-rounder (2023), and two fourth-rounders (2022 and 2024). And Watson then signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with Cleveland.
Has he been worth money? He has only started 19 games for the team in four seasons and recorded 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, with a career passer rating of about 80.7. He has a losing record as a starter (9-10) and has never completed a season for the Browns.
The NFL suspended him in 2022. Then he missed games due to injuries in 2023, 2024, and the entire 2025 season. And this won't be the first time that Haslam criticized the quarterback with harsh words in public. Back in March 2025, he called Deshaun Watson a swing and a miss.
Cleveland Browns will think twice before making decisions on Deshaun Watson
The Browns might find themselves in a financial sinkhole if they try to trade or release the former Texans QB. Having given him one of the biggest contracts, if they release Watson before June 1, 2026, they would take a huge $99.8 million (approx) cap hit in 2026.
A post-June 1 release would spread that cost into 2027, but the total dead money would still be very high. If they trade Watson in 2026, the Browns would still absorb significant dead cap, similar to a release, meaning they wouldn’t fully escape his contract financially.
Brown GM, Andrew Berry has said, "Look, I can never predict the future, but right now we do anticipate him (Watson) being on the 2026 team. But we have a long way to go before we get to that point with any player."
Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did say that Watson was helpful in meetings and mentoring the rookies like Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Maybe the team could keep him in that role in 2026. What do you think?
Written by
Reyansh Dubey
Edited by
Oajaswini Prabhu