Insider hints Browns' Deshaun Watson could get 10-game suspension, $10 million fine

Star quarterback Deshaun Watson didn't play a down for the Houston Texans or any other team during the 2021 campaign following an offseason trade request, as he couldn't secure a move to a different club because of the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions that hovered over him. 

Houston eventually sent Watson to the Cleveland Browns this past March once it became clear he would not face criminal charges, and NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson ruled earlier this summer that the 26-year-old should receive a six-game suspension. The league responded by asking appeals officer and former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to instead ban Watson for an entire year, but it's been reported that the NFL and NFL Players Association could come to "an agreed resolution" that would allow the signal-caller to play at some point before the upcoming season ends. 

On Monday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio touched upon what that settlement or Harvey's ruling could look like whenever it is announced. 

Following a story that said Watson "would accept an eight-game suspension and $5M fine to avoid missing the entire season," Florio speculated that "the league presumably won’t slip below 10 games, and the league may want a fine in the range of $10 million — the salary Watson earned in 2021 for not playing." 

Florio continued: 

"If he pays a $10 million fine, Watson and the league can credibly argue that Watson actually served an unpaid suspension for all of last season. With 10 games in 2022 on top of that, this may placate those who would argue that the league was too lenient with Watson." 

Tom Withers of the Associated Press noted Saturday that backup Jacoby Brissett is now taking the majority of first-team practice reps after Watson started Friday's preseason opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars that Cleveland won 24-13. Brissett is on track to start any and all games that Watson misses, but the Browns were recently linked with San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. 

It's assumed Cleveland will want Brissett or a different option such as Garoppolo to be ready to start the Week 1 matchup at the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 11.