Many deemed it the worst possible deal in the history of the NFL. The Browns gave up tremendous assets to get Deshaun Watson on a 5-year $230 million fully guaranteed contract, but the gamble didn’t work. If anything, it backfired immediately (2022) as the league banned him from 11 games because of allegations of misbehavior with women. Then his 2023 season ended early due to a shoulder injury and something similar happened in the 2024 season; It witnessed him grapple with an Achilles injury, which forced him to miss the remaining season after week 7. All this might have some big implications.

Could it be possible that the team is trying to move on from the QB? Here’s the problem: The team owes him $46 million in each of the next two seasons. If they decide to cut him, it would trigger a dead cap charge of $119 million if labeled as a post-June 1 release. So one would assume he will continue remaining a part of the Browns in some capacity the next season too. But let us not forget that he is still dealing with his Achilles injury and could spend major parts of next season rehabbing.

So after he re-injured his Achilles tendon in early January, the Browns are trying to move on. GM Andrew Berry is tasked with finding a new QB. But on February 17, the NFL insider Judy Battista made a bombshell revelation on the NFL’s YouTube channel as she said, “It certainly appears that Deshaun Watson will not be their quarterback, at least to start this season and perhaps for the entire season. And maybe he never plays for the Cleveland Browns again. With that in mind, they’ve got to get a quarterback whether it is a veteran or they draft one again.”

“Do they love one of the top quarterbacks in this draft? If not, are they going to sign, take another player? This is a team that has some weapons.”

His future looks set in stone as the chances of him playing again for the Browns seem very low. The first hint came when the Browns claimed they were looking into how Deshaun Watson got injured again. However, the contract could be deemed void if his injury was a result of “skydiving, hang gliding, rock or mountain climbing, racing of any kind including as a driver or passenger, motorcycling, use of any off-road or all-terrain vehicle, professional wrestling, boxing, use of firearms, scuba diving, jet skiing, surfing, bungee jumping, basketball, diving, and snow or water skiing.”

Regardless, the issue is also about the quarterback. The front office has already claimed that they aren’t looking into a generational QB. Most people believed that it was aimed at Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders. The situation has become even more complex for them with veteran DE Myles Garrett rocking the Browns ship by announcing his intention to move out of the franchise.

However, the GM Andrew Berry is ready to take on whatever comes his way. He already seems to have circled in on a suitable replacement for the DE.

Deshaun Watson’s teammate might get replaced in the 2025 Draft

By finishing 31st in the 2024 season, the Browns have got the 2nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft order. It gives them a great chance of preparing a good roster. PFF’s Jordan Plocher claimed that Berry could definitely replace Garrett in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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He named the Penn State DE Abdul Carter as a premier replacement and remarked that he would be perfect owing to his dominant performance in 2024: 92.3 PFF pass-rushing grade while also racking up 13 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and 43 hurries on 352 pass-rushing snaps.

However, the GM has said that he would not allow Garrett to leave the side. “We feel really good about Myles obviously as a big piece of our future. We’re looking forward to him being on the field. Like I said in my [early January] press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over. … I think you can assume that we do anticipate at some point doing a third contract with Myles. We want him to retire here.”

If they somehow get Carter alongside the veteran DE, it would be an epic move. But the question remains. Can they really do it? The chances of them becoming a Super Bowl contender are low until they sort out the most important position: the quarterback!

Not only could they do with freeing up that salary cap, but they could also build in the right direction and take a decisive call on Garrett. What do you think?