Shannon Sharpe admits it’s “make or break” season for Deshaun Watson

Shannon Sharpe defended Deshaun Watson, insisting he's still a great player despite his tarnished reputation and 11-game suspension.

Shannon Sharpe admits it’s “make or break” season for Deshaun Watson

Shannon Sharpe and Deshaun Watson (Via Imago)

The Cleveland Browns are once again betting on their odds on quarterback Deshaun Watson despite his name being plagued with controversies in the past couple of years. With everything at stake, including his future with the team, he indeed has a lot to prove in the coming season of 2024.

CBS Sports recently shared a list of NFL quarterbacks who have the most to prove this season. And, the Browns signal-caller has topped the list, which is the reason why Shannon Sharpe addressed Watson’s potential performance, during the recent edition of the Nightcap podcast. The sports analyst believes the 2024 regular season is a “make or break” season for Watson. 

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Sharpe highlighted how the quarterback barely played 12 games after signing the lucrative five-year deal worth $230 million with Cleveland. Additionally, in those games, he had a disappointing completion rate of 59% and 11 turnovers, along with 14 passing touchdowns. 

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I saw him at the Super Bowl, he looked healthy. He looked good, I mean he had the surgery… I want him to do well because I think what transpired off the field in Houston, I think people just forgot just how great he was and the trajectory that he was. So this is make or break.
Shannon Sharpe said on Sunday

Sharpe advocated Watson’s name, believing that he remains a great player despite of tainted image of the recent few years because of the s**ual as**ult allegations made against him which also resulted in an 11-game suspension. 

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Browns’ high-stakes contract could become NFL’s worst deal

When the Browns offered the ‘highest guaranteed deal’ in the NFL to signal-caller Watson, they didn’t know that he would hit major controversies headlines. After his 11-game suspension last year, they restructured the deal in order to avoid hitting the salary cap. 

Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson (Via Imago)

They have converted $44.79 million of his contract to a signing bonus, making an additional $35.83 million in cap space which the Browns intend to carry over the addressed $66 million over-the-cap projection challenge they are likely to face next year. 

Unfortunately, if Watson failed to compensate for the last couple of seasons and either got injured or gave a disappointing performance like last season, there’s a high chance that his lucrative contract will earn the label of being the worst deal signed in the NFL.

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