Browns Insider Reveals Deshaun Watson Retirement Mindset

Fans have fired off plenty of criticisms at Deshaun Watson since he was dealt to the Cleveland Browns and signed a massive contract extension. That deal will go down as one of the worst in NFL history, not necessarily because of the results on the field. 

In fact, the ridicule stems from the exact opposite as Watson has hardly spent any time on the gridiron since arriving in Cleveland. His tenure, especially the last two years, has been marred with injuries. 

Watson has played a total of 19 games in the three seasons in Cleveland with 13 of those coming in the last two years. A shoulder injury derailed his 2023 campaign and an Achilles tear ended last season seven games into the year. 

Making matters worse, he re-tore his Achilles in January, putting his 2025 prospects in serious doubt. Altogether, it leaves some wondering when or if he will see the field again. 

Some rumblings of retirement have swirled since the injury though those have been shut down. Per Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, there's very little chance of that happening. 

That has to do in part with the ambitions of returning to the field but also the money he would walk away from with that decision. 

“He’s determined to come back and play. It may have to be for another team, but he certainly doesn’t feel close to being done yet,” Cabot said. “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.”

To his credit, Watson has made impressive progress since his January setback. Watson has been out of a boot for some time now, throwing to some of his receivers at the team facility. Unfortunately, that does not change the expected lengthy recovery from the Achilles affairs. 

More likely than not, Watson will not make an appearance until the 2026 season. 

It appears the Browns will side with veteran Joe Flacco as the team's Week 1 starter though they have two rookies on the roster competing for an opportunity. 

The Browns drafted both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel back in April. If one of them progresses in a significant way this year, Cleveland could set their sights on the young guy and find a new home for Watson. 

Nonetheless, it is certainly admirable that Watson has kept such determination to get back to the game amid all these significant setbacks.