In the AFC conference, the Cleveland Browns are hanging by a thread. With a 3-9 win-loss record, they are at the bottom of their AFC North division, and 11th in their conference. After Deshaun Watson got injured, the team is going ahead with Jameis Winston. But the question now is, who will be their starting quarterback in 2025?

Seems like we have an answer! Ex-NFL HC Jason Garrett appeared on the December 4 episode of the Dan Patrick Show. When Dan Patrick asked his choice for the starting QB after taking money out of the equation, the coach replied, “Jameis Winston, I think the DeShaun Watson experiment should be over in Cleveland and they need to move on.” That’s a signal to Browns HC Kevin Stefanski to make a strong decision.

However, there’s another aspect to it. In 2022, Watson signed a 5-year $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the franchise. So the team is also concerned about the salary cap hit of $72.935 million in 2025. That’s a huge amount. But Garrett also had advice on that issue.

While talking about the financial side of things, he added, “I think you have to navigate the situation where you know the salary cap hit is at a at a minimum. I just think there are too many issues with DeShawn.” That’s right. Deshaun Watson has not played a full season for them after signing the deal.

In 2022, the NFLPA suspended him for the first 11 games after s—– allegations and fined him $5 million. In 6 games in the 2022 season, Watson had a 3-3 win-loss record. He played 6 games in 2023 too, finishing it with a 5-1 record. But this year, his performance is disappointing.

Even after that, Kevin Stefanski wasn’t ready to part away with his quarterback. But the Achilles injury forced him to go with the alternative.

Who performed better in 2024 between Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston?

In 7 games in 2024, Watson has a 1-6 record while Winston has a 2-3 record in 5 games. However, there were indications that the former wasn’t at his best, as the former replaced him in 5 more games. But the Browns look different once Winston has become their starting quarterback. Let’s look at their performance till week 13.

Jameis Winston has raised stakes after his mind-blowing performance in the week 13 game against the Broncos. Though they lost 32-41, the QB had 34 of 58 passes (58% completion rate) in 497 passing yards with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Everything depends on the head coach now.

The path will be different for each choice. They will also have to sign an extension with Winston if they decide to go with him. He signed with the Browns only for one year. Fans are waiting for an update.