Deshaun Watson is already setting dubious records with the Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson has made some daunting history for the Cleveland Browns already.

For those who still like the idea of Deshaun Watson in Cleveland, and it isn’t a huge number, those fans are hoping that Watson can set some franchise records. Namely, the number of Super Bowl wins. Currently, the number is at zero. And the Browns certainly sold their souls to land Watson, because not only is he currently the richest quarterback in league history, but so is his cap hit.

His cap number is $54,993,000 according to Warren Sharp, which is a record. A record that many are uncomfortable with, considering Watson has been found to have sexually abused women and still has to deal with two lawsuits that are pending. Two lawsuits which could further hurt the quarterback’s already tainted image and the Browns by proxy.

Browns fans were hoping that this era of the team would set records, but not these types of records.

Deshaun Watson’s cap hit would be hard to stomach even without his disturbing behavior

Let’s take Watson’s atrocious behavior out of the equation, no quarterback should eat up that much cap space. In fact, historically, teams who pay their superstar quarterbacks huge sums of money at the expense of the roster don’t win Super Bowls. The Kansas City Chiefs were able to do so this year, but they seem to be the outlier.

The Browns are looking at an impossibly difficult offseason ahead of them, as they have to restructure contracts, cut guys making too much, and shop in the bargain bin of free agents to fill roster slots.

All of this compiled on top of the fact that Watson was below-average last year as the Browns’ starting quarterback. Something that the front office clearly noticed, as the current gameplan is to rework the team’s offense to better fit Watson.

Heinous deeds aside, the team has invested over $200 million into Watson over the next four seasons, building a roster that suits his talent is the smart thing to do. The problem is that his contract will in fact limit what the Browns can do going forward. They could seek to re-structure the deal, pushing owed money past 2026, after his contract expires, but part of the reason the Browns are in this situation is due to that very same thing.

The team can’t keep repeating the same mistakes, or they’re going to end up like the New Orleans Saints, a team with immense talent and potential but nothing to really show for it other than a full tear down and rebuild.