Deshaun Watson Hit With Brutal Truth Bomb On His NFL Future

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Deshaun Watson’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns has been nothing like he or the team expected. After a controversial exit from the Houston Texans, the veteran quarterback joined the AFC North team with high expectations.

The Browns gave him a monster fully-guaranted $230 million contract to make him their QB1, hoping to find the end at the end of the tunnel and contend for many years. After four years, the Watson experiment has been a total failure.

Cleveland continues to look for a new QB1 after Watson struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. He recovered from a devastating right Achilles tendon rupture in October 2024, which ended his season and kept him sidelined until the second half of the 2025 season.

The Browns added Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in the draft, but it wasn’t enough to move the needle. Watson could have a role next season, but after that, things could go south for the former Clemson star.

Deshaun Watson Predicted To Leave The NFL After 2026

Mike Sando of The Athletic offered his thoughts on what would be next for Watson after the final year of his contract. Sando believes that Deshaun Watson’s story would make it hard for him to find a new team.

“I’m going to lean towards no,” Sando said on 92.3 The Fan. “I don’t think he’s shown enough for people to take on the negativity that’s going to come in your market and organization when everyone relitigates all the garbage stuff that made him unattractive.”

Things are already tense with the Browns, with owner Jimmy Haslam blaming Watson’s contract for the lack of success in recent seasons. Watson’s future was already a big question mark last season, but the picture appears to be clear this year.