The Browns and Deshaun Watson are headed toward the same place, and the part that matters now is how Cleveland gets there.
That was on display in Week 2 of the preseason against the Buffalo Bills, when the boo birds were already out before Watson took his first snap. A year-long injury absence did nothing to scrub away the ugliness that has hung over this situation from the start. At this point, everyone involved is just trying to get through seven more months until it finally ends.
The hard truth is that Cleveland is effectively tied to Watson until March 11, 2027.
That reality has less to do with stubbornness than it does with the contract the Browns handed him. Owner Jimmy Haslam has already called the Watson mess a swing and a miss, so this is not about pretending the move worked.
It’s also not about believing Watson can suddenly turn into a redemption story. The problem is the math.
As Jack Duffin of 247 Sports laid out, Watson’s deal makes an immediate release a brutal option. If the Browns cut him right now, the full $87.5 million in remaining dead money would hit the 2027 cap all at once. If they wait until March 11, 2027, the damage is split, with a $36 million dead cap charge in 2027 and $51.5 million in 2028.
That distinction is everything. An early release would leave Cleveland with the second-largest dead cap hit in NFL history, behind the Miami Dolphins’ $99.2 million charge for releasing Tua Tagovailoa early. More importantly for the Browns, they would have no way to spread the pain over two seasons if they moved now.
In plain terms, the Browns would be choosing to burn nearly one-third of the $301.2 million salary cap in 2027 on a player who would not be on the field for them. That is not a clean break. It is a self-inflicted disaster.
Watson still gets paid either way. The Browns remain on the hook for the full $46 million in cash left on the deal, no matter how people feel about the trade or his off-field history. Cleveland signed up for five years and a fully guaranteed $230 million, and there is no escape hatch from that commitment.
That is why all the noise about releasing Watson now runs into the same wall. The Browns dug the hole, and the only practical move is to live with it a little longer.
The better path, from Cleveland’s standpoint, is to hold Watson on the roster through this season. They do not have to play him.
They do not even have to dress him on game days. But they cannot cut him loose.
There is also the possibility of a setup like the one the Houston Texans used in 2021, when they kept Watson on the inactive list for the entire season while he stayed away from the team. That would require agreement from all sides, but Watson’s viral press conference snafu suggests he might be open to it.
For the Browns, the main thing is surviving the final stretch. The nightmare is almost over, and 2027 is the year that should finally open the door to something new in Cleveland.
In Other News...
Browns May Have Just Fueled A Steelers Contract Mess
Denzel Wards new extension is the latest reminder that the cornerback market keeps climbing, and it landed in a division where every financial move gets noticed. The Browns locked up Ward on a two-year, $62.2 million deal that pushes him to the top tier of NFL corners by average annual value, giving Cleveland another expensive cornerstone in a defense built to play aggressive, man-heavy football.
For Pittsburgh, the timing could hardly be worse. Joey Porter Jr. is now reportedly looking for a substantial raise in his own negotiations, and the Steelers are staring at a difficult decision if they cannot get the numbers where they need them. Trading a young corner of Porters caliber would be a major step, but the market for that kind of move may not bring back the kind of return Pittsburgh would want. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Already Be Telling Fans How They View Shedeur Sanders
Shedeur Sanders arrived in Cleveland with plenty of intrigue, but the Browns have already made it clear where things stand at quarterback. Deshaun Watson remains the starter, Sanders has not been given much meaningful playing time, and the teams approach so far suggests a cautious, limited investment in his development rather than an immediate push to build around him.
The bigger clue may be looking a little farther down the road. Cleveland is expected to be in the market for a new quarterback in the 2027 draft, a timeline that naturally raises questions about Sanders long-term place on the roster. For a player who entered with so much attention, the Browns current handling of the position feels less like a bridge to something bigger and more like a sign that the eventual end of this story may already be taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Browns QB Decision Just Raised An Uncomfortable Question
The Browns have settled their Week 1 quarterback plan by naming Deshaun Watson the starter, ending at least for now an open competition that included Shedeur Sanders. It is the kind of move that always carries a ripple effect in Cleveland, because quarterback decisions there are rarely just about the depth chart - they tend to reflect the broader direction of the franchise and the people steering it.
Todd Monken made clear the call was not his alone, which only adds to the usual scrutiny around this position. With Jimmy Haslam having already acknowledged responsibility for the trade that brought Watson to Cleveland and staying involved in related decisions, the choice puts the organization back under the same spotlight that has followed it for years, with the real question now less about who starts and more about who ultimately owns the outcome. [Read more 🡒]