Swinney says Watson is ‘Laser Focused,’ Ready to Get Back on the Field

CLEMSON, S.C. — As Deshaun Watson was having his name cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in the 22 civil suits filed against him, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was trying to counsel his former quarterback as much as he could.

After two Texas grand juries decided, earlier in March, they were not going to pursue criminal charges of sexual assault and sexual abuse against him, trade talks between Watson’s old team—the Houston Texans—and other NFL teams heated up.

Watson was quickly being courted by the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons. He met with each team individually and ultimately decided on the Browns after owner Jimmy Haslam agreed to give the former Clemson Tiger a $230 million fully guaranteed contract.

“I am happy for him. I am super excited about his opportunity,” Swinney said after this past Wednesday’s scrimmage. “I have talked to him a lot over the last couple of weeks and it just shows a lot of confidence Mr. Haslam and his family have in Deshaun.

“It was fun to kinda be a part of it with him and glad to see him get back to being involved and ready to move forward. He is going to do great.”

Watson’s new extension with the Browns includes a $44.965 million signing bonus. His salary this year will be $1.035 million. He will be paid $46 million per year from 2023 to 2026 and, again, it is all fully guaranteed.

During the trading process and contract talks the last few weeks, Swinney tried to give Watson the best guidance he could.

“Encouraging him and also just trying to give him some good counsel,” the Clemson coach said. “He is in a good place. It has been a long, long year for him for sure and I think he has grown a lot. He has been really good.”

The civil suits, where 22 women have alleged Watson sexually assaulted them, is still in litigation. The NFL is also investigating the allegations and a suspension from the league, of some sort, is still possible.

When it is all said and done, Watson can once again move forward with his life and playing career. His former coach knows he will be ready to play.

“I think he is laser-focused and I am just excited to see him have an opportunity to get back to work and where people get a chance to hear him a little bit,” Swinney said.