It's unclear if Deshaun Watson will see any game action this season afterbeing designated to return to practice this week, but we know where he'll be next season.
The Cleveland Browns are planning to keep the former Pro Bowl quarterback on their roster for next season according toESPNandNFL Network, confirminga report from cleveland.com on Tuesdaythat he'll be on the 2026 roster barring "something unforeseen."
Next season is the last one on Watson's fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, or at least the final one in which he'll be obligated to play for the team. After that come the void years.
PerOverTheCap, Watson will carry an $80.7 million cap hit for 2026, the largest number in the history of the NFL. Still it's preferable to the $131.2 million in dead money they would incur by cutting him loose before June 1. If they cut him after June 1, they would still save zero money against the cap.
Watson hasn't played in a game since rupturing his Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024. After undergoing surgery,he re-ruptured it in January, putting his 2025 season in jeopardy. He has now been designated to return after spending the season on the PUP list, which means he needs to be activated or placed on season-ending injured reserve over the next three weeks.
Per NFL Network, the plan with Watson returning to practice isn't so much activating him as it is getting him back into football shape ahead of the offseason. It's reportedly possible he could join the 53-man roster and serve as backup quarterback, but it's unlikely.
With Watson out, the Browns have started Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and the result has been a 3-9 record with neither player posting great numbers. Sanders is slated to get his third start of the season Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Watson figures to compete with the rookie duo next season, and it's possible Cleveland uses one of its two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on a quarterback. Any productivity the franchise gets from Watson will be a pleasant surprise at this point, but it will definitely be dealing with the cost of the worst contract in NFL history for some time.
Deshaun Watson's contract is a deserved nightmare for the Browns
When the Browns traded for Watson and gave him the most guaranteed money in the history of the NFL, despite sexual misconduct accusations against him from more than 20 women, they figured they would at least be getting a star quarterback after decades of languishing at the position.
Instead, they received only further embarrassment, as Watson still has yet to play more than seven games in a season for them. He holds a 9-10 record since joining Cleveland, with numbers that have only gotten worse with age.
Rather than become contenders, the Browns haven't won a single playoff game since acquiring Watson. And here's the punchline: The worst parts of Watson's contract haven't even kicked in yet.
Via OverTheCap, Watson's salary cap numbers with the Browns have been $9.4 million in 2022, $19.1 million in 2023, $27.9 million in 2024 and $36 million this year. By the standards of an NFL starting quarterback, those are reasonable numbers.
Next year, it's that record $80.7 million, though cleveland.com reports his fourth contract restructure will push some of that money to 2030. For now,due to a contract restructure that spread out his dead money, he still has three void years with numbers of $27.1 million in 2027, $18.1 million in 2028 and $8 million in 2029.
Cleveland might have Watson on its roster for 2026, but it appears it will have him on its cap sheet through 2031. Disaster doesn't even begin to describe it.
