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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson during an NFL game. An analyst has urged the Browns to consider placing the veteran QB on the trade block as he enters the final year of his contract.
The Cleveland Browns are being urged to place Deshaun Watson on the trade block, with the New York Jets identified as a potential landing spot after a 3-14 season in which the Jets started three different quarterbacks, finishing with undrafted rookie Brady Cook starting their final four games. A leading NFL analyst proposed on Tuesday that the Jets pursue a deal for Watson as he enters the final year of the fully guaranteed nine-figure contract he signed in 2022.
The Browns finished 5-12 in 2025 as Watson sat out with a second torn Achilles after offseason surgery. Still just 30 years old and a three-time Pro Bowler, Watson could represent a calculated gamble for a quarterback-needy Jets team if Cleveland is willing to absorb a portion of his remaining salary in a deal potentially centered on a Day 3 draft pick.
Watson signed his contract, setting a record at the time, after the Houston Texans traded him to Cleveland for a massive package of future assets — six draft picks including three first-round selections. In a ranking of bad contracts after the 2024 season, CBS Sports called the Watson contract “the worst deal in the history of the NFL.”
“Watson once had the most untradeable contract in sports. However, he is in the final year of the massive $230 million deal he got in 2022,” wrote analyst Jason Burgos of Sportsnaut. “While he has been a disaster in Cleveland and is coming off double surgery on his Achilles, he is still a three-time Pro Bowler. If New York can get the 30-year-old for a Day 3 draft pick and the Browns pick up half of his remaining contract, the Jets should consider it.”
Jets’ Quarterback Chaos Fuels Trade Interest in Watson
New York’s quarterback room has been in flux since the start of the 2025 season, with injuries and poor performance leaving the franchise searching for stability after a last-place AFC East finish and three different signal-callers under center.
The Jets reportedly remain open to exploring multiple options in the trade market to solve the position, even as they weigh low-cost alternatives like Eagles backup Tanner McKee or Texans’ Davis Mills alongside bigger gambles such as Watson.
This extended instability — including the benching of former starter Justin Fields in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor and continued search for a long-term answer — has left New York with one of the league’s most unsettled quarterback rooms. The team’s ongoing quarterback struggles have made the possibility of adding a veteran like Watson, even with questions around his recent injuries and contract, a more realistic scenario for a franchise intent on ending a long playoff drought.
Of course, as Burgos notes, Watson also comes with other significant baggage.
“Watson would certainly be motivated to prove himself to show he is still a starting QB in the league and to get his next contract,” the Sportsnaut scribe wrote. “The biggest issue in a deal might be the public relations pushback after the QB missed the 2021 season due to sexual assault allegations.”
Browns’ QB Depth Chart Leaves Watson’s Future in Flux
While Watson rehabs and prepares to compete for a starting role, the Browns’ quarterback depth chart remains a question mark, with younger options, veteran free agents and draft prospects all in the mix. According to Browns general manager Andrew Berry, the team wants every quarterback — including Watson — to earn the job in training camp.
Cleveland’s broader evaluation process introduces additional uncertainty around Watson’s role, especially given his missed 2025 season and the presence of Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in the quarterback competition. With a combination of youth and experience vying for snaps, Watson’s trade value isn’t just tied to talent but also to how the Browns view their long-term rebuild and salary-cap flexibility.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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