After unexpectedly making the playoffs in 2023, the Cleveland Browns went through some roster upheaval last season and finished a dismal 3-14, their worst finish since they went winless in 2017.
Their roster could look very different next season after star defensive end Myles Garrett asked to be traded and Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in October, especially since they will have the No. 2 pick in April’s NFL draft.
Watson presents the Browns with quite a dilemma — he has played very poorly since coming to the team nearly three years ago, in stark contrast to his years with the Houston Texans when he was a rising star, and he may be untradable due to his poor play and his big contract.
Cleveland surrendered six draft picks to the Texans to get Watson in March of 2022, and shortly afterward, they gave Watson a five-year, $230 million contract, and all $230 million was guaranteed, which set a new league record.
Whether he deserves it or not, with an annual salary of $46 million, he is tied for the 61st highest-paid athlete in the world along with NBA superstars Anthony Davis and Anthony Edwards, per Sportico.com.
The highest-paid NFL player on the list is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who received a four-year, $240 million contract extension several months ago and is, in the minds of some, overpaid.
It wasn’t too long ago that Watson was turning heads in Houston, and he led everyone with 4,823 passing yards while throwing for 33 touchdowns in the 2020 season.
But in 19 games with the Browns, he has totaled just 3,365 yards and 19 touchdown passes while completing only 61.2 percent of his pass attempts.
It may take a Herculean effort for them to simply unload him and his contract this offseason on the trade market, if that is indeed what they try to do.
