Veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson was named the Cleveland Browns’ starter on Monday after he was engaged in one of the league’s most intense QB1 battles against second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders throughout training camp.
Albert Breer Offers Browns Deshaun Watson Cap-Hit Advice
Watson signed a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract when he was traded from the Houston Texans in 2022. According to Spotrac, cutting Watson this year would saddle the Browns with $86.2 million in dead cap next year, making it the largest cap hit in league history after the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa’s $55.4 million hit this year.
NFL insider Albert Breer advised the Browns to take the cap hit to get rid of Watson and start afresh.
“Honestly, I’d rather just take the $86.2M hit in 2027 if I’m Cleveland than push $51.5M of it into 2028. Next year, with the draft classes of ’25 and ’26 on rookie deals, and another big draft class coming, they’ll be equipped to absorb that. And then you go into 2028 clean,” Breer wrote.
Honestly, I’d rather just take the $86.2M hit in 2027 if I’m Cleveland than push $51.5M of it into 2028. Next year, with the draft classes of ’25 and ’26 on rookie deals, and another big draft class coming, they’ll be equipped to absorb that.
And then you go into 2028 clean. https://t.co/uLo8B0j9jB
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 24, 2026
Watson’s stint in Cleveland has been far from smooth, as he missed 11 games in his debut season because of sexual misconduct allegations.
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In 2023, Watson’s season was cut short after sustaining a rotator cuff strain and undergoing shoulder surgery after just six games. The next year, Watson missed the last 10 games of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon.
In 2025, Watson re-ruptured his Achilles tendon and missed the entire season. The three-time Pro Bowler has only played 19 games for the Browns, leading them to a 9-10 record.
Browns fans booed Watson during their second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Huntington Bank Field on Saturday. The quarterback blasted the fans for booing him on Saturday and also when he tore his Achilles tendon in 2024.
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Analyst Calls Out Blasted Todd Monken’s Move to Choose Watson Over Sanders
PFN draft analyst Ian Cummings didn’t like the Browns’ decision to name Watson their starting quarterback over Sanders.
“In my opinion, it’s a complete tone-deaf move on his part, but also by the Browns to name him the starter in spite of that,” Cummings said. “There’s only one reason to keep Deshaun Watson as a starter, and that’s the $230 million guaranteed money price tag.”
“The fact of the matter is, simply put, you get nothing from starting Deshaun Watson,” Cummings added. “In 2024, he was the worst QB in the NFL on the All 22 and by the PFN QB Impact metric, scoring a 59.9 grade that ranked last in the league, and was 11th-worst all time dating back to 2000.”
Sanders, who provided stern competition for Watson, led the Browns to a 3-4 record as a starter in his rookie season. The former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback tallied 1,400 passing yards on 56.6% completion, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, earning the league’s second-worst PFN QB Impact score of 63.0 last season.
