The Cleveland Browns don’t have many options for getting out of the mess that the Deshaun Watson deal has created. Cleveland paid the controversial quarterback $230 million in fully guaranteed money over five years before the 2022 season. He has provided them 19 games played, nine victories, and public relations difficulties over three seasons plagued by two significant injuries and an 11-game ban imposed by the NFL.
The Watson adventure, which cost the Browns three first-round selections, a third-round pick, and two fourth-round picks, is done on the field, as most national pundits believe he will never start or play quarterback for Cleveland again.
However, the organization still owes him $46 million in compensation over the next two seasons and faces $73 million in salary cap penalties as a result of various contract restructures.
Climbing out of the dilemma looks to be practically difficult with Watson’s roster as pricey as it is, but climbing down may be a viable option.
Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and standout edge rusher, has made it obvious to the organization that it is time for him to win or go on. However, the Browns’ greatest chance of winning soon may be to lose now. That could, and probably would, include accepting bad quarterback performance in 2025 and trading Garrett for a large return that the organization could then utilize to pursue a franchise quarterback like Texas’ Arch Manning in the 2026 draft.
“How does Arch Manning get to the Browns? By focusing on their numerous other issues and disregarding the quarterback situation this summer. On Saturday, December 21, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic said, “Tank for a year and start to wade through a chunk of the $170 million still owed Watson on their future cap sheets.” “A quarterback is the one thing Garrett is not, despite his extraordinary talent. However, he could be able to supply the money needed for the Browns to make their next significant move.
Although dealing Garrett in his prime would be a huge blow to the club, the team would receive enough draft capital to enable a one-season semi-rebuild. Furthermore, no error is likely to ever compare to the monumental error that has been the Watson reign in Cleveland, regardless of how terrible things might become in 2025 without Garrett around. It was never going to be easy for the squad to correct that mistake.
