Steelers Rival Fires Back At Doubters

The Cleveland Browns' gamble on Deshaun Watson has resulted in nothing less than a complete disaster, setting the franchise back while putting quite a bit of distance between themselves, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the AFC North.

Watson, who re-tore his Achilles in January after initially doing so during Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals last season, is in danger of missing the entire 2025 campaign.

After Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam admitted to reporters at the annual league meetings that signing him to a fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million extension following a trade over from the Houston Texans in March 2022 was "a big swing-and-miss", Watson took to Instagram and attempted to silence any skeptics while declaring that he's going to come back better than ever.

"Everyone is doubting me. Everyone don't believe in me," Watson said. "Everyone don't think I can get back to where I was. But I know, and I believe the work that I put in, that I believe in myself... I know, I'm gonna be way better than before."

Watson, the No. 12 overall pick in 2017 who was lauded as one of the league's top up-and-coming quarterbacks throughout his tenure in Houston, was traded to Cleveland for a package including three first-rounders after sitting out for the whole 2021 season as a consequence of over 20 women accusing him of sexual assault, misconduct and indecent assault.

Several more accusers have emerged in recent years, raising the number of lawsuits he's faced to 27.

Watson did not face any criminal charges in front of a grand jury, but he was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season and fined $5 million.

He did not make his official Browns debut until Week 13 of that year while appearing in just six contests during 2023 after sustaining a shoulder injury.

In 19 total games for the team, Watson has thrown for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while guiding them to a 9-10 record.

Against the Steelers over that timeframe, he's gone 0-2 while putting up 465 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Watson, now widely regarded as one of the worst signal callers in the league, has fallen well short of expectations since joining Cleveland, as has the franchise.

The 30-year-old is still under contract for two more seasons with cap hits of $35.971 million this upcoming campaign and a whopping $80.716 million in 2026. The deal also carries void year charges of $27.068 million in 2027, $18.129 million in 2028 and $7.983 million in 2029, per Over the Cap.

2025 is shaping up as yet another lost season for the Browns, who hold the No. 2 overall selection in the upcoming NFL Draft and acquired former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett via trade from the Philadelphia Eagles last month as Watson's potential replacement.

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