Deshaun Watson did not make a great case to be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback this weekend. In fact, things went so poorly it might be time for the team to finally move on according to some prominent media members. Will he start, sit or even be on the team? And what are the financial ramifications of cutting or trading him?
We’ll start on the field where Watson completed 5-of-12 pass attempts for 36 yards and an interception against the Buffalo Bills’ backups. To be fair, the other potential starter, Shedeur Sanders, had a similarly unimpressive performance off the bench in the team’s first preseason game so one bad performance shouldn’t be enough to seal Watson’s faith.
What he did after the game may have done it though. Speaking to the media, during the game “personal” and “disrespectful.” Coach Todd Monken said that Watson’s comments would not play into the decision on who starts, but most people outside the organization have seen enough.
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Deshaun Watson media backlash
On Monday’s edition of “Good Morning Football” Kyle Brandt made a very thorough case for the Browns to cut Watson.“You don’t want him as a backup,” said Brandt. “And I don’t think anybody on the team wants him as a starter. Including Deshaun. You don’t openly engage and antagonize the fanbase after another crap performance a couple weeks before the opener if you actually want the starting job.”
He also broke out a pretty devastating graphic that shows just how bad Watson has been. Since 2022 he’s arguably the worst quarterback in the NFL statistically.
On “Get Up” Dan Orlovsky imagined a scenario where Watson could have taken some accountability. Orlovsky wondered if Watson could have said something that might have gotten the fans back on his side but instead did the opposite while adjusting his diamond earrings.
“There is no way that you can come out today and say this is our guy. You can’t do that to the fanbase that is starving and obviously loves Shedeur.”
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Deshaun Watson’s dead cap hit
Watson obviously isn’t the first athlete to wear diamond earrings, but they are an obvious reminder of just how much money he has made with the Browns. According to , Watson is fourth in the NFL in cash earnings from 2022 to 2026 with $229.5 million despite only appearing in 19 total games.The only players who have made more over that period are ’22 MVP Patrick Mahomes, ’23 MVP Lamar Jackson, and ’24 MVP Josh Allen.
We can be reasonably certain Watson will not win MVP in Cleveland this season even if he does remain on the team. Whatever the Browns decide to do with him, they’re still going to have to deal with over $86 million in dead cap next season. Or they could spread it out over ’26 and ’27 if they get creative. This year’s cap is just over $300 million. You can probably do the math on how much it hurts to have $86 million tied up in someone who isn’t even on the roster.
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