Former NFL Exec Offers Wild Take On Browns, Deshaun Watson Contract

A former NFL executive has delivered a rather wild take on the situation with the Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson's contract.

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns have gotten themselves into a well-known mess with quarterback Deshaun Watson.

We know the story. The Browns acquired him in a massive trade with Houston Texans back in March 2022 and handed him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

Well, Watson has played in a grand total of 19 games since then, and he just tore his Achilles twice in a span of a few months.

The 29-year-old has $92 million remaining on his deal, and apparently, Cleveland can void his contract if he wasn't following protocols when he re-injured himself.

Obviously, getting that money off the books would be huge for the Browns, but former NFL executive Andrew Brandt actually feels Cleveland may avoid that because he thinks it would be a bad look.

"And the bigger issue is, even if they can, will they?" Brandt questioned on the Ross Tucker Podcast. "Because you know reputation matters. The Browns, this has been a disastrous situation ... but do they want to be that team? Do they want to be that team that will suck back money based on an injury?"

Honestly, at this point, I don't think anyone would fault the Browns for voiding Watson's contract based on how everything has unfolded in Cleveland.

It's definitely unfortunate that things have taken such a depressing turn, and the hope is that Watson can fully recover from his injuries.

But the fact of the matter is that the Browns handed Watson a historic deal only to watch it completely blow up in their faces.

I don't think the front office is going to care very much about its reputation when it comes to the possibility of getting out of that contract.