Browns’ Deshaun Watson Situation Takes Troubling Turn

Frustration with Deshaun Watson is growing inside the Cleveland Browns locker room after one week of the regular season, according to a report published this week.

An unnamed NFL general manager told reporter Jason La Canfora that Watson appears to be testing how long the Browns will keep him as the starter.

“Watson will keep playing like (expletive) to see how fast they’ll pull him. He’s calling their bluff,” the general manager said.

La Canfora wrote that multiple league sources described the same mood among players.

“Numerous league sources have indicated to me that the locker room is already over this stunt, players on that roster are over the constant drama, and there is no leadership coming from Watson at all at this point,” La Canfora wrote.

Watson is in the final season of a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract he signed after Cleveland acquired him from the Houston Texans in 2022. The deal remains the largest fully guaranteed contract in NFL history at the time it was signed.

The Browns opened the season with a 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13. Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran six times for 38 yards and was sacked five times.

Cleveland trailed 24-0 at halftime and 31-0 early in the third quarter. Watson threw an interception on the opening drive after the Browns had moved into field-goal range. The offense finished the first half with 95 net yards and five first downs.

His only touchdown came on a 46-yard pass to rookie Denzel Boston with 1:52 remaining. The Browns also drew 11 penalties for 75 yards.

It was Watson’s first regular season start since 2024 after two Achilles injuries. He had been away from regular season action for 693 days.

Head coach Todd Monken said he anticipates Watson starting Sunday’s Week 2 game at Tampa Bay. Monken noted Watson had received first-team practice reps for only about two weeks and said the staff and surrounding players share responsibility for the opener.

Safety Ronnie Hickman, asked whether he supported keeping Watson as the starter, said, “That’s above my pay grade.”

Monken has said players do not get a vote on the quarterback. League executives told La Canfora they expect Watson could be benched by Cleveland’s Week 3 home opener against the Carolina Panthers, with second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders taking over.

The Browns are 8.5-point underdogs at Tampa Bay. A second loss would increase pressure before they return home.

Watson has started fewer than 20 games across the first four seasons of the contract. Cleveland restructured the deal multiple times to manage cap space, including the addition of void years.

The next two games will determine how quickly the organization moves on from the veteran in the last year of the guarantee.