Deshaun Watson Receives Ominous Prediction on Cleveland Future

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 11:11 AM ET

The Cleveland Browns appear to be done with Deshaun Watson, but the controversial quarterback may not be quite finished with them.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam characterized the team's trade for Watson, which included three first-round picks, and subsequent five-year, $230 million fully-guaranteed contract as a "big swing and miss" back in March.

Haslam's comments came on the heels of Watson's third season with the team, in which he played just seven games before suffering an Achilles injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the campaign. The QB later tore the tendon a second time during rehabilitation work and his availability for the 2025 campaign remains up in the air from a health standpoint.

Regardless of health, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com predicted on Tuesday, June 24, that Watson has played his last snap for the Browns.

"I do not see him playing ball for the Cleveland Browns anymore," Cabot said.

Watson's on-field presence has been problematic for the Browns in the 19 games he's played over the past three years, but he doesn't need to play in 2025 to cause even more issues for the team -- he just needs to get healthy enough that he could theoretically take the field.

“If he gets a clean bill of health, that’s going to complicate Cleveland’s plan this year," Mike Florio of Pro football Talk reported last week. “They have an insurance policy if he’s unable to play because of his twice-torn Achilles tendon. They’d get back a lot of cash, they’d recover a lot of cap space, and they don’t really need him."

"He could eventually file a grievance," Florio continued. "Deshaun Watson would be arguing that he’s healthy and the Browns would be arguing he’s not. If Deshaun Watson were to win, the Browns would either have to put him on the roster, trade him or cut him. It’s that simple."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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