Ever since the Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a fully guaranteed deal, everything has gone wrong.
Watson’s future as Cleveland’s quarterback is more uncertain.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said last week that Watson suffered a setback in his recovery from an Achilles tendon rupture, and the team doesn’t know if or when he’ll be available in 2025.
Deshaun Watson has played in only 19 games since signing a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with Cleveland in 2022.
Now, it seems that Watson has also lost the locker room.
A new piece from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reveals that in the weeks that followed Watson tearing his Achilles, his teammates felt a sense of relief that came with his absence from the team from inside the locker room.
“Players told me there was a constant heaviness surrounding Watson in the locker room and that they felt a different energy in the building upon his departure after his Achilles injury in October,” wrote Lloyd. “A couple of veterans told me it felt like a cloud had been lifted.”
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Following his injury, the team inserted Jameis Winston, and they went on to beat the Baltimore Ravens to earn their second win of the season one week later.
Another part of Lloyd’s article explained why Deshaun Watson and head coach Kevin Stefanski never seemed to mesh well together as a quarterback and playcaller.
The article explained how Watson was on board with his coach’s plan, but soon, he began to push back and wanted to run an offense that more closely resembled what he did with the Houston Texans.
His days with the Texans had Watson looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league.
The article added that his teammates “grew tired” of the organization’s treatment of him because he never fit in.
Multiple players also became frustrated that the head coach wouldn’t openly criticize Watson in front of the team. Once Jameis Winston took over, Stefanski would point out the QB’s mistakes in film sessions.
The Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland will go down as one the biggest disasters in the franchise’s history. We all knew it was bad, but some of this stuff is eye opening.
— Big Mike (@big_mike9169) January 15, 2025
Sounds like Stefanski tried to set him up for success in his scheme, but Watson didn’t adapt.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/50vUCx4KAJ
We said all season what the problem was with the Browns this year and got pushback.
— Colb (@___Colb___) January 15, 2025
Season is over so now the truth is coming out and, shocker, we were right the entire time. pic.twitter.com/zYiqqd7GS2
Is Deshaun Watson’s Era Over In Cleveland?
Whatever is next for Watson, and it’s hard to see him playing another game in Cleveland.
The Deshaun Watson era ends as horribly as it started.
The Cleveland Browns announced that Watson suffered a setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles and was forced to have a second surgery.
2025 might be a wash, and the team could likely part ways with him by 2026.
