Last season, the Cleveland Browns made it to the playoffs despite starting five different quarterbacks throughout the season. By the end of the year, the offense found its rhythm with 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco under center.
Now, Flacco is off to Indianapolis, and the Browns are left to rely on Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback. The team has been positive in their updates on him as he rehabs from a season-ending shoulder injury, though there’s still a long road to go before Watson takes the field in Week 1.
Since the Browns signed Watson to his massive five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract (after giving up a historic haul of picks to acquire him), Cleveland has not seen the same version of the Clemson product that the Houston Texans had. Even though Watson is over .500 as a starter with the Browns, his numbers have taken a step back in nearly every statistical category.
Recent rumors have suggested that the Browns could look to move on from Watson – who’s played just 12 games the past two seasons in Cleveland – if his play doesn’t dramatically improve in 2024. Next year will be the first time they have a first-round draft pick since trading for Watson, though moving on from the much-maligned QB could prove prohibitively expensive.
The three largest (single-season) dead cap hits in NFL history belong to Russell Wilson ($53M), Matt Ryan ($40.5M) and Aaron Rodgers ($40.3M). If the Browns release Watson ahead of the 2025 season, his $136,938,000 dead cap hit would be larger than all three of those combined ($133.8 million). If Watson struggles again next season, the Browns may have no choice other than to bite the bullet.
