(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Deshaun Watson trade couldn’t have worked out any worse for the Cleveland Browns, who gave up multiple first-round picks and gave him a $230 million fully guaranteed contract, only to be rewarded with just 19 starts and two torn Achilles tendons.

Watson likely won’t play in 2025 as he recovers, which is why Cleveland went out and brought in four new quarterbacks this offseason to officially put an end to the Watson era.

With Watson’s future up in the air, there have been rumors about him retiring, but Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot recently shed some light on the situation and put those rumors to bed.

“He’s coming along well in his rehab from the retorn Achilles, and hasn’t even been ruled out for later this season, although it’s probably unlikely he’ll see the field this year — at least not here. But he’ll make his full $230 million from the Browns whether he plays for them again or not, and won’t retire before it expires,” Cabot said.

Nobody in their right mind would retire until a contract like that ran out, but Cabot is correct in stating that Watson does appear to be a bit ahead of schedule.

He shared some photos of himself throwing a football on social media recently, indicating that he isn’t ready to hang up his cleats and intends on coming back, whether that’s with the Browns or somebody else.

Browns fans haven’t seen even a glimpse of the player Watson was during his years with the Houston Texans, and it’s a shame that things didn’t work out better.

Hopefully, Watson can return to the field fully recovered from his Achilles injury and use this as a turning point for his career.