NFL insider suggests plan to save Browns from Deshaun Watson’s contract

As if the Cleveland Browns’ season couldn’t get any more agonizing, there’s still a giant elephant in the room for the team’s front office heading into 2025 — Deshaun Watson’s albatross of a contract. With a draft ahead of the team and still seven games left to play, there is a question of who will even start at quarterback for the Browns next year.

They have a couple of options right now outside of the draft – they can just ride it out with Jameis Winston and see where he takes them while they wait for Watson’s contract to no longer affect their cap space, or they can give Watson the keys just one more time to prove he can indeed be the franchise quarterback for Cleveland.

Read more: It sure sounds like the Deshaun Watson contract will haunt the Browns for years

They also still have Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the wings, but it’s unclear if the team is open to developing him further given that he has yet to break out and appears to be the better option than Winston at any point this season . So at this point, it feels like either Winston or Watson has to emerge as obvious QB1s or end up benched.

Another option? To trust a young rookie quarterback and take your loss, according NFL insider Albert Breercould be the right move for the Browns to make in 2025 and set them up for cap space success after next season.

“The Cleveland Browns owe Deshaun Watson $46 million in 2025 and $46 million in ’26 — and every penny is fully guaranteed. There’s $172.77 million in cap space left to account for, meaning they’ve only counted on 24.9% of the contract’s $230 million against the cap, despite being 60% of the way through the contract,” Breer explained in a column for Sports Illustrated a day before the Browns’ Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The cap math is annoying if you’re a Browns fan. Despite barely having any real impact on the win and with plenty of injuries making it impossible to even see what Watson can add to this team, the fact is that Cleveland is still locked into paying over 75 percent of his contract against their cap. is absurd and horrible management from this front office.

However, Breer adds that a simple fix to that problem just doesn’t allow Watson to come back next season with a guaranteed starting role.

“My guess is he has real competition for the job next year, maybe with a rookie quarterback. I think the Browns are done going toe-to-toe around their quarterback situation. One reason Joe Flacco was out and Jameis Winston coming in as Watson’s backup was that Cleveland was going to make it clear to Watson that he was their guy going forward, I would imagine those kinds of concessions aren’t going to be made anymore,” Breer said.

While there are no first-time starters in this quarterback class, the Browns may look to free agency as a way to continue to bridge the gap between Watson and a raw rookie QB if they are unable to re-sign Winston. One thing is for sure – Watson has lost the right to demand anything from this coaching staff or front office. And the front office simply needs to start learning how to eat crow on this terrible deal.