For an ESPN story published on April 8, an unnamed NFC team executive said he couldn’t “see” a different team signing Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson assuming the Browns officially part ways with Watson in 2026.
As has become somewhat of a tradition this spring, Watson seemingly used Instagram to respond to that piece and explain how having his back “against the wall” only serves as motivation to prove doubters wrong.
“Everyone is doubting me,” Watson says in the short clip, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “Everyone don’t believe in me. Everyone don’t think I can get back to where I was. But I know, and I believe the work that I put in, that I believe in myself. The peace that I’ve been channelling the last couple of months, I know I’m gonna be way better than before.”
Watson shared a similar social media post not long after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam acknowledged during the NFL owners meetings that the organization “took a big swing and miss” by handing the 29-year-old a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M deal as part of acquiring him from the Houston Texans in March 2022. Barring a shocking development, that could go down as the worst trade-and-contract combination in NFL history.
In total, Watson has made just 19 starts for Cleveland. He missed 11 games during the 2022 season while serving a suspension related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions that were known about long before the Browns traded for his services. A shoulder injury prematurely ended his 2023 campaign, and he played poorly this past fall before he suffered a torn Achilles in October.
Watson later tore the Achilles again while rehabbing, and it’s thought that the second injury will keep him out of action until 2026.
According to ESPN and Pro Football Reference, Watson’s 23.4 adjusted QBR would’ve been the league’s worst for the 2024 season had he finished Week 18 among qualified players. His 79.0 passer rating would’ve been good for 36th out of 37 quarterbacks.
If nothing else, Watson may be sending a message to other teams that whispers suggesting he won’t “be motivated to play” in 2026 are inaccurate. At this point, one can only guess which clubs would be interested in picking him up next offseason.
