Deshaun Watson Expressing His Desire to Sign New Browns Contract Doesn’t Sit Right with Fans

Deshaun Watson's $230 million fully guaranteed contract ends after the 2026 NFL season.

Deshaun Watson Expressing His Desire to Sign New Browns Contract Doesn’t Sit Right with Fans

Deshaun Watson (Image via IMAGO)

Deshaun Watson is open to signing a contract extension with the Cleveland Browns. Watson and his wife love staying in Cleveland.

Watson missed the 2025 season after rupturing his Achilles while on vacation. He rejoined the Browns at the start of the first phase of the current offseason. He attended both the OTAs and the minicamp and has been training with the first team at the spring camp.

Watson’s contract runs through the 2026 NFL season. When a Cleveland-based reporter, Jeff Schudel, asked the veteran signal-caller whether he would be open to an extension, Watson said yes.

Watson stated that he has always thought of Cleveland as his home. After moving from Houston to Ohio, Watson bought a mansion in Hunting Valley, where he lives with his wife, Jilly Anais. Both are well settled. So, he believes continuing with the Browns would be the best option for him.

I haven’t had a bad experience outside… just different inside the [Browns] Stadium. But again, I don’t know why the narrative is out there that people think that I don’t like Cleveland. We have been enjoying it. We have been enjoying our time here… If the opportunity [to sign a new contract] shows up, we’ll see where it goes.

Deshaun Watson said at Browns training camp
RELATED
Katie Nolan’s Old Tom Brady Take Comes Back to Haunt Her After Sophie Cunningham Remarks

Fans react to Deshaun Watson’s desire to stay with the Browns

Watson had a couple of consecutive winning seasons before winning just four games in 2020. In 2021, several women accused the Pro Bowler of making inappropriate advances toward them. Lawsuits were filed against him. Even though he remained part of the Texans’ first-team roster, he did not make a single appearance that year.

Deshaun Watson Expressing His Desire to Sign New Contract With Browns Doesn't Sit Right With Fans
Deshaun Watson (Image via IMAGO)

Despite missing a season and the lawsuits hanging over Watson, the Browns viewed him as their savior. The Browns shocked the football world by sending three first-round draft picks to the Texans in addition to a couple of players in exchange for Watson. They also agreed on an NFL record (at that time) $230 million fully guaranteed contract. It turned out to be a double whammy for the AFC North franchise.

Since the trade, Watson has made just 19 starts in four years and has a 9-10 record in the regular season. 2023 was arguably his best year in the Browns colors. The Browns had opened the year with a 5-1 record before Watson hurt his shoulder and was ruled out for the rest of the year.

A year later, he went 1-6 before tearing his Achilles. He suffered a second Achilles tear when he was on vacation with his wife. The Browns owner admitted that they made a big mistake by paying Watson.

And even after that, Watson still hopes to continue playing in Cleveland. Fans aren’t too keen.

Deshaun Watson praises Shedeur Sanders

The Browns still had three quarterbacks on the first-team roster even though Watson wasn’t playing. Veteran Joe Flacco began the season, then handed the reins to rookie Dillon Gabriel, who passed the torch to Shedeur Sanders.

Flacco has left the building, while Gabriel has lost the confidence of the fans, leaving Watson and Sanders to duel it out for the QB1 job. Watson was asked whether Sanders has made any improvements from his rookie year.

Yeah, [Shedeur’s] definitely improved. He has grown a lot. You see in his fundamentals, his release, being able to execute, call the plays, so you can tell he’s a lot more comfortable, and he’s been putting in the work to be where he’s right now.

Watson revealed

Reports emerged during the minicamp that Sanders had closed the gap on Watson. Recent reports indicate that the former Colorado QB may have gained an upper hand in the race to become the Week 1 starter. According to the Cleveland media, Watson threw 6 interceptions during spring practice compared to Sanders’ one. Sanders also completed 70% of his passes while Watson only managed 64.4%.

The Browns drafted Sanders 144th overall in 2025. He posted a 3-4 record and completed 56.6% of his passes for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He earned his first career Pro Bowl call-up.

Also Read: