Three years ago, the Cleveland Browns decided to ignore sexual misconduct lawsuits against Deshaun Watson to acquire the scandalized Houston Texans quarterback for three first-round picks and sign him to a fully guaranteed $230 million extension.
Now, after a brutal 3-14 campaign that included two Achilles injuries for Watson, The Athletic is characterizing that trade as the ‘biggest mistake in franchise history.’
Things got so bad for Watson, his agent allegedly received a death threat aimed at the struggling signal caller, although a suspect has never been identified in the case.
And things weren’t much better for him inside the Browns’ locker room. Some Browns players reportedly confessed to being relieved when the injured Watson was replaced with backup Jameis Winston in October.
‘Players told me there was a constant heaviness surrounding Watson in the locker room and that they felt a different energy in the building upon his departure after his Achilles injury in October,’ Jason Lloyd wrote for The Athletic. ‘A couple of veterans told me it felt like a cloud had been lifted.’
Watson, whose status for 2025 remains up in the air, was reportedly coddled by coaches. His grasp of coach Kevin Stefanski’s west coast scheme became an issue in Cleveland, particularly after veteran Joe Flacco managed to pick it up rather quickly when Watson went down with a shoulder injury in 2023.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is carted off the field after being injured
‘You have to bring Joe back; somebody has to teach Deshaun the offense,’ one member of the organization told The Athletic. ‘Joe picked it up faster in 30 days than Deshaun has in two years.’
And when the team replaced offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey, who was thought to be a better fit for Watson, things only got worse.
As a result, the Browns failed to score 20 points in any of Watson’s starts this year, while averaging just four yards per play. In fact, only two Cleveland quarterbacks – Charlie Frye and Doug Pederson – have had worse production over five or more games since the second incarnation of the Browns began in 1999.
Dorsey has since been fired and replaced with former tight ends coach Tommy Rees.
Although Lloyd admits it is unclear if Watson’s struggles can be attributed to lingering effects of that 2023 shoulder injury, there are some issues that are blamed on the quarterback in the report.
In particular, Watson is criticized for being inconsistent on his drops: Often, when he was required to drop eight yards, he’d only drop six.
As a likely consequence, Watson was sacked a whopping 33 times in just seven games in 2024.
And then there were the glaring issues exposed in film sessions – problems Browns players seemed to notice, but went unmentioned, nonetheless. Often, anonymous teammates claimed, Watson was simply ignoring open receivers.
‘We all saw the same things,’ one player told The Athletic. ‘We all watch the film. Guys are open.’
Browns fan wears a paepr bag over his head during the second quarter of a NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field on October 20
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The Browns now enter the offseason in search of another quarterback after free-agent signee Bailey Zappe became the 40th player to start a game under center for Cleveland since 1999.
But despite the uncertainty at quarterback, the Browns are still obligated to pay Watson, who is owed more than $170 million.
The good news for the team is that it can recoup some insurance relief, according to The Athletic. What’s more, the Browns can put Watson on injured reserve, thereby saving a roster spot.
As for Watson’s legal issues, he was sued again for sexual misconduct over allegations dating back to his time in Houston. The suit is now among more than 20 he’s settled since initially denying allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment in March of 2021.
