Deshaun Watson has not been the quarterback the Cleveland Browns thought they were getting when they traded for amid his off-the-field issues when he played for the Texans.
His behavior was terrible once again, but on the field when fans went crazy over him shoving a referee during their most recent game. Watson wasn’t in the clear when the NFL announced he wouldn’t be punished for pushing an official during Monday night’s 26-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 28-year-old apparently gave the league multiple other instances of discipline-worthy material worth a reported $35,513 in fines, according to multiple reports.
Because of that, the Browns may now have a major loophole in his contract to clarify future guarantees if he’s suspended for violating on-field playing rules, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Via the report:
“Watson’s contract, as anyone who has paid any attention to the NFL for the past 18 months knows, was fully guaranteed. The contract, like most with guarantees, contains language that allows the teams to void future guarantees.
The power to do so becomes, as to Watson, a potential escape hatch for the Browns, if his play doesn’t improve.
Beyond the usual factors that can invalidate future guarantees (e.g., retirement, holdout, suspension for PEDs), the contract has language that applies to suspensions arising from on-field infractions.
Specifically, the contract generally voids all future guarantees for any suspension imposed by the NFL. It then applies an exception for two specific types of suspensions imposed for violating on-field playing rules. The guarantees do not void if: “Player is suspended for not more than one game for violation(s) of the Official NFL Playing Rules, or Player is suspended for violation(s) of the Official NFL Playing Rules that, in Club’s sole opinion, results from non-egregious conduct.”
This means that Watson’s future guarantees can be voided if he is suspended for two or more games for violating the on-field playing rules, or if he is suspended for one or more games for violating on-field playing rules in a way that the team regards as “egregious.” (Merriam-Webster defines “egregious” as “conspicuous” or “flagrant.”)
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One of the three fines Watson was assessed this past Monday came in response to a “violent gesture” he made in celebration of a touchdown during the third quarter. He and tight end David Njoku both got hit with #13K fines.
The other two fines were for unnecessary roughness after he received two penalties for separate facemask infractions.
Through the first two weeks of the 2023 season, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been a disappointment. After ending his NFL-imposed suspension late last year and looking quite rusty in games he played in, fans hoped 2023 would be a coming-out party for the quarterback.
That hasn’t been the case and Watson has underwhelmed with only 389 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions total.
