{"id":842221,"date":"2026-03-30T03:21:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/842221\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T03:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:21:19","slug":"browns-gm-floats-unthinkable-plan-for-qb-deshaun-watson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/842221\/","title":{"rendered":"Browns GM Floats Unthinkable Plan for QB Deshaun Watson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Deshaun\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns is seen on the sidelines against the New York Jets.<\/p>\n

The last four years of Deshaun Watson<\/a> may have felt like an eternity to some Cleveland Browns<\/a> fans after the team traded three first-round picks for him then paid him $230 million<\/a> in fully guaranteed money \u2014 all for just nine victories<\/a> in return across only 19 starts.<\/p>\n

Then on Sunday, March 29, general manager Andrew Berry<\/a> floated the notion of bringing Watson back beyond the 2026 season despite the 30-year-old QB\u2019s history of off-field legal and civil issues and the reality that his deal with Cleveland arguably represents the worst trade and the worst contract in NFL<\/a> history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re probably just more focused on performance and best players,\u201d Berry told reporters<\/a> at the annual league meetings in Phoenix, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. \u201cCertainly time horizon factors into that, but just with any veteran player, there\u2019s no rule against extending the player\u2019s contract if they perform and they do well. So I wouldn\u2019t necessarily box it into any one approach. It really will be performance-based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cabot paraphrased the larger context of Berry\u2019s comments and the next-to-unthinkable notion underlying them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Watson wins the quarterback battle and plays well, the Browns could always bring him back for more,\u201d Cabot wrote. \u201cIn fact, when Berry first traded three first-round picks and more in 2022 for Watson, he said he hoped it would be a 10-year proposition and not just the original five.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when it comes to Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders<\/a> and whoever else is in the quarterback room this offseason, his expiring contract \u2014 worth $46 million a year \u2014 won\u2019t be a factor,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

Preseason QB Battle Between Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders Most Likely Outcome in Cleveland\"Cleveland<\/p>\n

GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.<\/p>\n

Cabot, and others, have noted that Berry and new head coach Todd Monken<\/a> continue to indicate, both with their words and actions, that a competition between Watson and Sanders for the QB1 job is the likely path this offseason.<\/p>\n

Berry tossed in the notion of adding another quarterback to the mix when speaking with media members Sunday, and Alabama<\/a> signal-caller Ty Simpson<\/a> is a name several analysts have floated if he is available in the mid 20s or late 30s, where Cleveland owns picks (Nos. 6, 24 and 39<\/a> in Rounds 1 and 2 combined, as of now).<\/p>\n

Sanders has some juice, not to mention plenty of fan support, heading into 2026, so Cleveland is more or less obligated to give him a legitimate chance to win the QB1 job after starting the final seven contests of last season.<\/p>\n

The team is also unable to get off Watson\u2019s contract in next year, so the prudent choice is to allow him a chance to start after a twice-torn Achilles tendon has sidelined him for more than the last season and a half.<\/p>\n

Browns Good Bet to Draft Rookie Quarterback in 2027\"Arch<\/p>\n

GettyTexas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.<\/p>\n

All of that said, extending Watson is a mind-boggling concept considering how much salary cap space the team is going to lose in void years, which now number at four, after the QB\u2019s contract expires following the upcoming campaign.<\/p>\n

The Browns are on the hook for dead cap hits of $34.7 million, $25.7 million $16.9 million and $8.9 million between 2027-2030, respectively, after restructuring Watson\u2019s deal yet again to bring his formerly league-leading salary cap hit in 2026 down from more than $80 million to $45 million.<\/p>\n

Should Cleveland struggle again during the upcoming year, which is likely given the roster deficiencies, the Browns profile as one of the most likely franchises to pursue a rookie QB in what is projected to be one of the best classes at the position in years in 2027.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMax Dible<\/a> covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Browns\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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