As Deshaun Watson enters the third year of a five-year, $46 million-per-year, fully guaranteed contract, the Browns are still waiting for a return on their investment. G.M. Andrew Berry believes it can happen.
If Watson remains able to play.
Asked by reporters on Monday to explain what gives him confidence regarding Watson’s ability to play at an elite level, Berry said he’s relying on the messages sent from his eyeballs to his brain.
“I think it’s just seeing him every day,” Berry said. “Seeing how he prepares, seeing how he works in practice. Seeing how he relates to his coaches. I think our biggest focus with Deshaun is just making sure that he’s available. I think the rest will take care of itself.”
Making sure he’s available is a massive factor. Watson missed 11 games in 2022 due to a suspension that the Browns knew was coming when they traded for him. He missed 11 games in 2023 due to injury. And the Browns are on the hook for $138 million through 2026.
It feels like it’s now or never for Watson to justify his contract. And if it doesn’t happen this year, the Browns will have to decide whether to give it a fourth try — or remove a $92 million Band-Aid and move on.
The money has always been a major focus of the decision to make Deshaun Watson the team’s quarterback. That obscures the bigger investment made. Three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two fourth-round picks were surrendered, for Watson and a sixth-round pick. If they hadn’t done the deal, the Browns would have had a group of young players with low-cost contracts who could have developed into the nucleus of a team that has become pretty damn good without those picks — and without much from Deshaun.
So can Watson turn the clock back to 2020? He’s played in 12 total games since then. Berry believes that, if Watson can play in 17 regular-season games, he’ll return to the short list of true franchise quarterbacks.
If he does, the Browns will be on the short list of Super Bowl contenders.