Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Deshaun Watson wants Browns to sign top impending free-agent weapon

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 1/26/24

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is hoping his team can land one prominent player in free agency this offseason.

Watson spent a portion of his “Lockerverse” podcast trying to recruit Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins to the Browns. As part of a discussion with his throwing coach Quincy Avery, Watson promised that the Browns would “take good care” of Higgins by getting him the ball often, and he also appealed to their shared ties to Clemson.

Bengals fans won’t like this, but #Browns QB Deshaun Watson openly advocated for the team to sign soon to be free agent WR Tee Higgins today on their podcast

( via: @Lockerverse, @deshaunwatson and @QuincyAvery) pic.twitter.com/t4KjpnUvsf

— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) January 26, 2024

“We wanna pass the ball. That’s what we gonna do. We gonna pass it a lot,” Watson said while crossing his fingers. “And we gonna take good care of you. The Cleveland fans are gonna love you to death and we got the Clemson ties. We didn’t get to play with each other but this is our opportunity. So like, man, come on over to The Land.”

Watson is unlikely to be the only one recruiting Higgins this offseason. The 25-year-old is coming off an injury-hit year with the Bengals, but he posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022. The Bengals appear unlikely to retain him, as preseason contract talks went nowhere.

The Browns will have to sort through finances to get something done with Higgins, as he is likely to be expensive. Still, it is easy to see why Watson would want to bring him in so badly.

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

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