Deshaun Watson will remain on the books for the Browns in 2025, but it remains to be seen when he will be healthy enough to play. The much-maligned quarterback’s recovery from an Achilles tear has taken an unwanted turn.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on Monday (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) that Watson encountered a setback in his rehab process. As a result, a second Achilles surgery may be required. Especially if that proves to be the case, Watson’s timeline to return to action will be significantly pushed back.

The 29-year-old tore his Achilles in October, bringing an end to his third season with Cleveland. The ailment represents the second in a row which prevented him from playing a full campaign (something of note considering the 11-game suspension which began his Browns tenure, of course). Just like years past, 2024 did not go according to plan in terms of on-field production, although Cleveland did not consider benching him prior to the injury. The team used Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe at quarterback to close out the year, and changes under center can be expected.

Berry noted this latest Watson development is unlikely to affect the Browns’ plans at the QB spot this offseason (h/t Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal). Competition for the starting gig has already been expected – quite possibly by adding a rookie in the first round of the draft – and further uncertainty regarding Watson’s 2025 availability could point the team in that direction. Cleveland is on track to select second overall in April.

Given the fully guaranteed nature of Watson’s pact, cutting or trading him is not feasible. To no surprise, another restructure was worked out recently, further delaying the point at which the Browns will meet major cap issues by releasing the three-time Pro Bowler. Watson’s cap hits for 2025 and ’26 remain $72.94MM at this point, with several void years in place. As noted by Spotrac, the restructure likely sets up a post-June 1 release in 2027.

In the meantime, improved play under center will be a key goal for the franchise. Berry, along with head coach Kevin Stefanski, will remain in place for 2025. One day after their season ended, though, the Browns did move on from offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey as well as offensive line coach Andy Dickerson. Replacing both represents a notable task, and with Winston and Zappe on track for (in the latter’s case, restricted) free agency, an overhaul under center could be in store. Watson was previously set for a training camp return, per cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, but now that will no longer be the case.

The Browns and veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson have agreed to new terms on his fully guaranteed $230MM contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The new terms do not affect the amount of money Watson will receive over the final two years of the deal but will impact Cleveland’s cap commitment over the next several seasons.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Watson’s income will not be affected. In signing the reworked deal, Watson is not taking a pay cut from the remaining funds due to him. Over the next two seasons, Watson is set to earn $46MM per year. What the new contract does do is move some of the cap hit from the deal into new voidable years. The deal before today already had two void years tacked on after the contract ends in 2027, and with today’s updates, the deal will now have a total of four void years.

Seemingly, what this move indicates, is that Cleveland has not yet given up on Watson as their franchise quarterback. Despite how disastrous the contract has worked out towards this purpose to date, the Browns seem to be saying that Watson should return next year as the team’s starting quarterback. His contract has him set for free agency following the 2026 season, meaning he could be the Browns’ passer for both years.

Four years ago, this wouldn’t have sounded like a bad deal. After an impressive rookie season, in which Watson threw for 19 touchdowns in only six starts, was cut short due to injury, the young quarterback out of Clemson delivered three straight Pro Bowl seasons for the Texans, leading the league in passing yards in his final year with the team.

His fifth-year option was exercised, but Watson became disgruntled with the front office and coaching staff, leading to a trade request. During the contract and trade negotiations, a number of sexual harassment allegations emerged, draping Watson in controversy. Between the contract issues and allegations, Watson would sit out the entire 2021 season. Despite missing a year and being plagued with potential for suspension, the Browns sent a massive draft package in exchange for Watson and signed him to the largest, most-guaranteed contract in NFL history.

The allegations resulted in an 11-game suspension to begin his Browns’ tenure. In the two seasons since, Watson has missed a total of 21 games with injury. His short healthy spurt in 2023 saw him go 5-1 in six starts, while a seven-game stretch this season saw him go 1-6. So far, Cleveland’s massive investment has resulted in 19 starts and a 9-10 record. Luckily, as most teams are wont to do, the Browns insured Watson’s contract so that they receive some cap relief for his missed time.

Along with spreading out some of the cap impact, the Browns’ new deal with Watson should make the impact of cutting him a bit easier, should they choose to do so. On his previous deal, Watson would’ve represented $119MM in dead money if cut as a post-June 1 release before the 2025 season. Similarly, the number would reduce only to $73MM before 2026. Theoretically, those numbers should reduce under the new terms.

Ensuring that Watson comes back next year doesn’t mean the team won’t address the position in the offseason, though. The team is reportedly doing their research on secondary options to compete with Watson and fill in in case of further injury issues. There’s certainly a chance that the secondary quarterback could be Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson, though Winston is set to hit free agency, but a quarterback in the draft is certainly an option, as well. For now, though, the adjusted contract sets the table for Watson to return as the 2025 starter.

With the Browns in a historically unique spot regarding Deshaun Watson, they are not in a good position to release a player who has flopped after a blockbuster trade. Even though both Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry stopped short of indicating Watson would be the Browns’ starting quarterback in 2025, he is expected to stay in Cleveland beyond this season.

Not only will Watson be staying despite his mostly woeful play, the high-priced passer will be given another chance to vie for the Browns’ starting job. The team still believes the eighth-year veteran can play at a high level, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds that another restructure is likely on tap.

Two previous restructures have ballooned Watson’s 2025 cap hit to $72.9MM, which would shatter the NFL record. Kyler Murray‘s $49.2MM 2024 number represents the NFL high for a single player, and the Browns are not keen on having Watson smash that record by staying on that lofty number next year. Of course, if/once the Browns complete another restructure with Watson, it will complicate their eventual exit route from what currently resides as the worst contract in NFL history.

The most recent woman to accuse Watson of sexual assault settled her civil suit with the embattled QB, and her attorney confirmed no talks with the NFL commenced. The league closed its investigation without a second suspension coming to pass. This keeps the Browns on the hook for Watson’s guaranteed salaries, as part of a fully guaranteed deal (five years, $230MM), in 2025 and ’26. Had the Browns not restructured Watson’s contract in 2023 and 2024, the QB’s cap number would have settled in south of Murray’s record-setter in 2025, at least putting a release in play. The adjustments that created cap space over the past two years are currently hindering the Browns here.

Cleveland cannot realistically cut Watson in 2025. The August restructure Berry completed would create $172MM in dead money in that event. While that could be spread out over two years, that sum would make it untenable — even in a world in which the Broncos cut Russell Wilson to spur a dead cap avalanche — for the Browns to operate. Instead, the sides will be stuck with each other for at least one more season.

Prior to tearing an Achilles tendon, Watson performed poorly enough Stefanski regularly received questions about why he remained the Browns’ starter and whether higher-ranking members in the organization were mandating that remain the case. Stefanski denied anyone beyond him was making that call, and other Browns coaches agreed he was the team’s best option. Jameis Winston, his high-variance style notwithstanding, has proven to be a more effective QB this season. The Browns were playing without multiple O-line starters for most of Watson’s run this season, though the former Texans Pro Bowler has been a shell of his Houston version during most of his Cleveland stay.

The Browns are also planning to add another starter-caliber QB for 2025, Cabot notes, indicating the injured incumbent is still in a walking boot but on schedule in his recovery from a second season-ending surgery in two years (after his 2023 shoulder operation). This follows a report that indicated a competition is at least coming, though Watson’s contract will limit the Browns’ options in finding a potential replacement.

That said, Cleveland restructuring Watson’s deal would allow for help in that area. As of now, it would cost the Browns $99MM-plus to cut Watson in 2026; that number would be defrayed over two offseasons. A third restructure, though, would bump a 2026 dead money total well north of $100MM. As it stands, the Browns appear prepared to deal with that when the time comes.

While it would stand to reason the Browns would strongly look into dismissing Berry after he proposed this contract, Jimmy Haslam backed his HC-GM combo earlier this week. They will be tasked with finding what could be a job-saving solution at quarterback soon.

The subject of another NFL investigation due to a woman’s sexual assault claim, Deshaun Watson settled with his most recent accuser recently. That was believed to effectively close the door on another NFL suspension. That is now official.

Watson is not set to be banned in connection with that alleged crime, with cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reporting the NFL has closed its investigation without finding sufficient evidence the Browns quarterback violated the personal conduct policy. Although Watson’s Cleveland future is cloudy, he is not set to face a second suspension. He missed 11 games due to an NFL-NFLPA settlement in 2022, a ban that began a wildly disappointing Browns tenure.

The QB’s latest known accuser settling her civil suit, one that alleged sexual assault in an October 2020 incident, was set to prevent her cooperating with a league investigation. Her attorney, Tony Buzbee, confirmed (via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske) his client did not meet with the NFL. As such, it would have been difficult for the NFL to conclude the quarterback definitively violated the league’s personal conduct policy. This was the expected outcome, and Watson will remain tied to the NFL’s most player-friendly contract without any changes coming about.

A suspension in connection with this alleged incident represented perhaps the Browns’ last chance to see their dead money bill lightened. But the team faced an uphill battle thanks to the player-friendly contract it authorized.

Personal conduct policy bans regularly void guarantees, but the Browns included language in Watson’s deal to protect him. The former Texans Pro Bowler having not disclosed this incident to the team prior to his latest restructure would have left the door open to future guarantees being voided, but Watson denied all wrongdoing in this case. The QB’s account indicating he was not aware of this particular accuser’s claim would have left the Browns in an interesting spot, due to how they designed his contract, even if he were suspended once again.

As it stands, Watson’s five-year, $230MM deal runs through 2026. With the once-highly coveted QB not coming close to delivering on expectations, it is fair to label this the worst trade and contract in NFL history. The Browns are expected to shop for another starter in 2025, but Watson’s contract being so difficult to move — a status boosted by the two restructures GM Andrew Berry completed — effectively keeps him in limbo beyond this year. The Browns are not expected to cut Watson in 2025, as that would bring an astonishing $172MM in dead money over the ’25 and ’26 offseasons combined.

Cleveland is not expected to fire Berry or HC Kevin Stefanski, despite their lead roles in a disastrous 2022 trade. Watson, 29, is rehabbing an Achilles tear sustained in October. Jameis Winston has operated as the Browns’ starter since, offering the highs and lows that have become associated with the former No. 1 overall pick’s career. Winston is a free agent at season’s end. Watson may be in the background for the Browns for now, with neither Berry nor Stefanski guaranteeing he would start again for the team. But no suspension coming to pass will put Watson on track to be a major part of the Browns’ future once again — once he completes his rehab process.