The Cleveland Browns front office is “resigned to their fate” with Deshaun Watson as the team’s starting quarterback according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Fowler said the decision to bench Watson would assuredly involve team owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry, meaning head coach Kevin Stefanski has no choice in confirming Watson as the starter week after week in a lost season. “My sense through all of this is the Browns are resigned to their fate, having no choice but to ride this out and hope things turn,” he said, adding coaches who have faced Watson in 2024 believe he’s “done” as an NFL quarterback.

Fowler and ESPN’s Dan Graziano concluded there is no easy way out of Watson’s contract. Even sending an entire draft’s worth of picks to a team willing to absorb Watson’s remaining deal might not do the trick. We can expect Watson to remain under center for the rest of the 2024 season.