The 30-year-old Watson has played just 19 of a possible 68 games since the Browns traded three first-round picks and gave him a reported fully guaranteed $230 million contract in 2022. He has not played since October of the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon, then suffered a setback, which required another surgery in January of 2025.
Watson struggled when he played with Cleveland, throwing 19 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions with a quarterback rating of just 80.7. However, Watson is healthy again and competing with two second-year quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Neither new Head Coach Todd Monken nor Owner Jimmy Haslam has ruled out the possibility of Watson winning the starting job. Last week at the NFL owners meeting, Monken said he was keeping an open mind regarding Watson, despite his struggles. Early in his career with the Houston Texans, Watson had some huge seasons and led the NFL with 4,165 passing yards in 2018.
"Have I seen Deshaun Watson play before? Of course," Monken said. "I saw him play against us when I was in Baltimore. Did we play the Cowboys two years ago after Cleveland opened up with Dallas? Yes. Is that a great tape to watch Deshaun Watson on? Absolutely not.
"I just know what I've seen over the years. I've seen a really good football player. We're hoping to tap into that. I know he's excited and we're excited to work with him. Like we are with Dillon, like we are with Shedeur."