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Stephen A. Smith sends retirement message to Deshaun Watson

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Feb 26, 2026 3:54 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns’ never-ending quarterback carousel looks to continue in 2026.

Going into the offseason, the Browns have Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson on the roster.

On Thursday, Dan Orlovsky and Stephen A. Smith discussed the Browns QB situation, and Smith had a harsh retirement message for Watson.

“My god, how awful can you be?” Smith said. “There’s nowhere to go but up, and Deshaun Watson is still getting paid. Let me look on national Tv and tell Deshaun Watson this: If you can’t win the starting job in Cleveland this year, you need to retire…It’s over for you. You need to retire.”

"My god, how awful can you be? There's nowhere to go but up. … If you can't win the starting job in Cleveland this year, you need to retire."@stephenasmith SOUNDS OFF on Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/64ufxmY37w
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 26, 2026

Berry was asked about the Browns’ QB competition, but he insisted nothing has been discussed yet.

“We don’t have to make that decision anytime soon,” Berry said. “I think any player that we have in that room we would expect to compete to earn a role. Those two would be no different.”

Watson has played just 19 games with the Browns since signing a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal in 2022 after being traded by the Houston Texans.

Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon in October of 2024, then he tore his Achilles tendon again in the 2025 offseason and missed the entire season.

Sanders threw for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while Gabriel threw for 937 yards with seven scores and two interceptions before suffering an injury and eventually losing the job to Sanders.

However, Smith made it clear that if Watson can’t beat them out for the job, it might be best for him to hang it up and call it a career.

New Browns head coach Todd Monken did sound intrigued by Watson. The three-time Pro Bowler is fully healthy this time around, so a QB competition between Watson, Gabriel and Sanders seems like a reality, unless Cleveland adds a QB in free agency or the NFL Draft.

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

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