In a blistering segment on ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith let fire fly against Deshaun Watson. As the Cleveland Browns head into the 2026 season with a wide-open quarterback competition, the pressure on the $230-million man has reached a breaking point.
"My god, how awful can you be? There's nowhere to go but up," Smith exclaimed, exasperated by Watson’s decline. Over the last four seasons, Watson has appeared in just 19 games, a staggering statistic for a player once considered a top-five talent. After missing the entire 2025 campaign following two grueling Achilles surgeries, his path back to the field is blocked by rising star Shedeur Sanders. This is also the final year of Watson’s fully guaranteed deal.
The ultimatum from Smith was clear: "If you can't win the starting job in Cleveland this year, you need to retire."
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The sentiment in Berea seems to be shifting toward the youth movement. At the NFL Combine, new Browns head coach Todd Monken couldn't hide his enthusiasm for Sanders. Monken praised Sanders’ "elite processing" and "natural pocket presence," noting that the young QB still needs to improve, but is “excited” about him.
Watson may still be on the hook for a massive cap hit, but as Smith noted, "prior evidence" suggests the elite skill set is gone. If Watson can't beat out a second-year player in training camp, then No. 4 really will earn owner Jimmy Haslam’s comment of him being a “big swing-and-miss".
It would put a bow on the worst trade and contract in NFL history.
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