The first third of the Browns’ season brought consistent scrutiny on Kevin Stefanski‘s decision to keep starting Deshaun Watson. The former Texans Pro Bowler had rarely resembled his Houston version in Cleveland and had bottomed out this season, producing the league’s worst QBR among qualified passers during his seven starts.
Weekly calls for Watson to be benched rang out, but with Browns ownership and GM Andrew Berry not making themselves available to address this big-picture issue, Stefanski continued to do so. Stefanski had kept indicating Watson would not be benched, but the two-time NFL Coach of the Year shed some light on the organization’s decision-making process by confirming he had discussed the matter with Berry and the team’s ownership. It appears the parties were aligned on the decision to avoid benching the struggling starter.
While Stefanski had said ownership was not forcing him to keep starting Watson, who remains tied to a record-shattering guarantee ($230MM), ESPN.com’s Daniel Oyefusi notes the choice to stay the course was agreed upon at all organizational levels. Watson’s Week 8 Achilles tear, of course, changed the Browns’ plan. Although the injury conceivably clouds Watson’s future in Cleveland, his guarantees for 2025 and ’26 — which are currently slated to smash NFL records in terms of cap hits — remain intact.
As many expected he would, Jameis Winston outplayed the 2024 Watson version in Week 8. The free agent pickup completed 27 of 41 passes, including a game-winner to Cedric Tillman, for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The Browns prioritized Winston over Joe Flacco, who said repeatedly he wanted to stay in Cleveland — before ultimately confirming he received no offer to return — but demoted him to the third-string level in Week 7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, however, did not hold the starting gig once Watson went down. After a promising Week 8 — albeit with a boost from some Ravens dropped interceptions — Winston appears the clear-cut Browns starter.
It is not especially surprising the upper reaches of the organization agreed to keep trotting out Watson, who was at the controls as the Browns lost five straight. The team had made a historic investment in the embattled passer, sending the Texans three first-round picks in a package that included other draft choices and greenlighting the five-year, $230MM guaranteed deal. The Browns joined the Falcons, Panthers and Saints in being willing to send three first-rounders to the Texans for Watson, but their $230MM guarantee set them apart. As Watson was on the cusp of choosing Atlanta, the Georgia native backtracked thanks to the whopping guarantee — a figure that has not been approached despite the QB market skyrocketing since.
The Watson contract, which Jimmy Haslam indicated stemmed from a Berry plan, unfolding as it has may well place the HC-GM combination on hot seats despite the Browns authorizing extensions for both this offseason. Stefanski has also given up play-calling duties for the first time in his Browns tenure, handing the role to OC Ken Dorsey. The team did not discuss changing play-callers until Week 8, Dorsey said (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson).
Stefanski’s run as a play-caller stretched back to taking over for a fired John DeFilippo as interim Vikings OC in 2018. Becoming Minnesota’s full-time OC in 2019, Stefanski landed the Browns’ HC job in 2020, arriving two weeks before Berry.
Winston’s early success reflects well on the coach’s scheme, which keyed a playoff berth in 2020 with a healthy Baker Mayfield and obviously flourished with Flacco at the controls en route to a surprising postseason berth last season. Though, with the Browns 2-6 and rumored to be prepared to make more seller’s trades following the Amari Cooper swap, Stefanski may not be out of the woods yet regarding an ouster.
Watson underwent surgery last week. Stefanski did not commit to the high-priced passer as his 2025 starter, though the veteran HC said he still believed in Watson. Thanks to the QB’s two restructures, he is tied to $72.94MM cap numbers in 2025 and ’26. Cutting Watson in 2025 would create an unfathomable $172.73MM dead cap hit, which would be spread over two years in a post-June 1 transaction (which would certainly be necessary in the event of a release). It will now be interesting, given the money still owed to Watson, if the Browns add a starter-caliber arm in 2025.
How convenient.
I’m a Browns fan, and you have to be a little delusional to follow this team so I’m choosing to look at the positive side here.
I’m choosing to believe that Stefanski and Berry have the freedom to make decisions without being limited by ownership, and not that Stefanski and Berry clearly couldn’t evaluate how bad Watson really was.
Also a long-suffering Browns fan here, and I conclude that, from Stefanski on up to Haslam, it’s a total cluster****.
But since Jimmy holds the purse strings, the only relief would be dumping Berry, Stefanski, and their minions.
Browns fan here too, and I don’t care what they say, he was only playing because of that cement shoe contract and nothing more. He simply isn’t good anymore, he is a headcase and it shows, and he focuses on one receiver. Last week Winston hit the open guy all day, it didn’t matter who it was, if they were open, that is where he threw the ball. I’ve said it before, I would trade Watson for a 2nd baseman before I played him again.
It’s kind of like a hostage making statements on video. “Never mind the gun pointed at my head!”
I look forward to Watson starting next year and continuing his losing streak.
DumbShawn isn’t anybody’s idea of a best option except Dumbshawns. The guy is worse than Anthony “Bounce the Ball” Richardson which is saying a lot. How could you sit Winston watch your season go down the crapper with Dumbshawn the Clown?
Deshaun is the best option, yeah if you want to play poorly on offense, I agree.
Are they going to let Winston go in the offseason just so there isn’t any question of who the starter is next year? What a joke.
172M dead cap hit tells me Deshaun will probably be there next year as well.
The only way he isn’t there is if the NFL grows some balls, adheres to its own policies and suspend him. How many lawsuits does it take for someone at the NFL to notice?
The Browns dug this whole and there’s no way the league should bail them out of it…
He can be there next year, but they cannot possibly think to start him. He isn’t coming back from injury and all of a sudden he is going to play well. I understand the financial obligation they have to pay him I am not arguing or questioning that, I am simply saying they have to have another QB who can play football because Deshaun forgot how to play.
unless you know of a decent qb willing to play for the league minimum its him or DTR because i think they are in the worst cap situation next season with like 40 or 50 million over the cap currently.
Even if they carry over the full amount of what they are under the cap which i think is 40 or 45M into next season, they would be about even for next years cap before even signing draft picks. Also I dont think they have any big names they can cut for cap savings as they are underwater in most contracts.
So unless they extend out more void years/restructures and potentially putting a bandaid on a broken leg, Watson will be at minimum the backup but more likely starter for part of the season.
Which is how management will think, but they are paying him the same if he plays, or not, and the team is much better without him, so they should release him. They would be way ahead.
Cutting Watson in 2025 would create an unfathomable $172.73MM dead cap hit
=====================
Well, at least it didn’t them draft picks as well.
Hahahaha! And that’s why the Browns are the Browns!
There is clearly something about Winston that rubs coaches and players the wrong way. He’s obviously got the most talent for them currently and yet the browns tried everything in their power to not go to him. DTR looked terrible in his limited work and Watson is an utter mess. Yet Stefanski still avoided Winston until he had no choice.
It’s already been said that if Cleveland dumped Watson & ate the dead cap money they couldn’t field a 53 man roster if everyone played for league minimum.
I think they could spread out the dead cap hit over two years like what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson, but your point still stands
It wasn’t a football decision but a ‘face-saving’ decision. You can’t embarrass the owner for mortgaging the team’s future on a sexual deviant…doubling down with the worst-ever contract.
The Browns BR….ASS are fools!!!
Plus, they traded for him, signed off on the new contract
SMH
File under “Better To Be Thought A Fool Than To Open Your Mouth And Remove All Doubt”
Everyone knows Watson was starting because Cleveland made an absolutely idiotic trade and handed Watson that huge extension. Stefanski is doing himself no favors trying to spin it. If everyone really felt Watson was the best option to start, they further prove their not qualified for their jobs. Winston immediately made that offense look better. What does that tell you?
They’re not getting the money back and you can’t undo the trade. It’s a sunk cost. You move on in those situations instead of doubling down if you have an ounce of sense.