Watch what happens. One way or another he won't be back.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/deshaun-watson-ruled-out-for-week-8-can-browns-get-out-of-qbs-record-contract-exploring-the-options/#:~:text=Because%20Watson's%20deal%20is%20fully,QB%20and%20save%20cap%20room.
"Browns fans are wondering: Is it possible to get out of Watson's controversial contract? Is it even feasible for Cleveland to look ahead at QB?
The short answer is: not yet. If the Browns were to outright release Watson after 2023,
per Over the Cap, they'd instantly lose $136.9 million, or roughly 53% of the entire projected 2024 salary cap. That cannot and will not happen. Even if they were to designate him a post-June 1 cut, the net loss would be $92M -- also unfathomable. Barring a restructure on Watson's end (which seems highly unlikely, considering his representation specifically negotiated a fully guaranteed deal that even included workarounds for his 2022 suspension),
the soonest the Browns could cut the QB without losing tens of millions is 2026, the final year of his deal.
In that scenario, a post-June 1 cut after the 2025 season would result in a dead-cap hit of $109.9M -- the current record is $40.5M, when the
Falconstraded QB
Matt Ryan -- but the Browns would at least avoid an immediate loss of 2026 cap space. Because Watson's deal is fully guaranteed, remember, there is technically no scenario where the team can release the QB and
save cap room.
The other option, of course, is a trade. But that would require another team inheriting Watson's unprecedented contract, complete with his on- and off-field baggage. "Salary-dump" deals aren't totally unprecedented in the NFL, but even that possibility -- of the Browns essentially paying another team to unshackle them from Watson's deal -- seems remote, considering his lucrative cap charges. Just look at
Russell Wilson in Denver; that's a Super Bowl-winning QB with nowhere near the character concerns, and yet the
Broncos' lucrative commitment to Wilson all but prevented them from shopping his contract after a disappointing 2022 debut.
If cutting or trading Watson isn't realistic until years down the line, then where can the Browns find solace? To be frank, their bed was made the minute they executed the Watson trade-and-extension. No amount of cap manipulation can easily erase that decision. But if Watson truly cannot return to form as a QB, either under the current regime or a new one, the other scenario involves him taking a seat as the highest-paid backup in the history of the NFL."