Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam seemed to close the door on the club’s disastrous Deshaun Watson era when he said on Monday that the franchise “took a big swing and miss with” the decision that included landing Watson from the Houston Texans and giving him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract in March 2022.
NFL insider Armando Salguero of OutKick is among those who believe Watson has played his final meaningful in-game down as a member of the Browns after the 29-year-old suffered a torn Achilles this past October and then tore the Achilles again during his recovery.
“Watson’s contract,” Salguero explained on Monday, “provides for up to $44.2M in insurance on his 2025 salary. So the club could benefit between $37M and $44.2M in 2026 cap relief if Watson misses this entire season. That would mean Watson’s salary cap number, currently scheduled to be $81.6M in 2026, could drop to the [mid-$40M range] or lower. And that would allow the club to walk away from Watson next year with a more manageable cap hit on a post-June 1 release.”
Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Browns general manager Andrew Berry confirmed while speaking with reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday that Watson will miss at least “a significant portion of” the 2025 season coming off his latest injury. Meanwhile, Cleveland could eventually trade for Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons to have him serve as a short-term starter ahead of a rookie such as Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart or Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.
The Browns hold the second pick of the 2025 NFL Draft but may use that asset to acquire either Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter or Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter.
“Even though Watson has been seen in social media videos already working out,” Salguero added, “there is no telling if he will indeed be able to pass a physical at any time in 2025. If he cannot pass a physical, collecting on the insurance policy is a done deal.”
Multiple individuals who cover the Browns have noted throughout 2025 that Watson only agreed to join the club because he received his historic contract. If it’s true that both he and the Browns feel divorcing as soon as possible is what’s best for everybody involved, he’d have no reason to want to face a live defense in a game before he finds a new football home in 2026.
