Browns Reveal Surprise Deshaun Watson News That's Infuriating Fans

The Browns reportedly made an unexpected Deshaun Watson move on Friday afternoon, restructuring his contract to ease the salary cap burden for 2025. Unfortunately, the nature of the restructuring indicates Watson will be on the roster for at least two more seasons.

Based on the reaction from fans on social media, that's bad news. Many wanted Cleveland to cut ties with Watson as soon as possible, given the nature of his reputation and disastrous play.

His contract will remain an anchor on the front office's team-building ability, but at least the Browns can start looking for his eventual replacement now on the cheap.

Browns Restructure Deshaun Watson's Contract in Surprise Move

As Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network explain, Watson's $73 million cap hit in 2025 can now be spread out at the end of the deal. Since that's the case, he'll stay on the roster for the foreseeable future.

In parts of three years with Cleveland, Watson has completed 61.2% of his passes at a paltry six yards per attempt with 19 TDs to 12 interceptions. He'll be coming off the devastating Achilles injury next season and based on how Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins have looked coming off the same ailment, it's generally expected that Watson will be a worse player in 2025 than he was in 2024.

For a franchise that hasn't experienced positive quarterback play for essentially its entire existence, it's a tough pill to swallow knowing that things won't improve soon. Given that Cleveland is likely to have a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it'd be wise to select someone on a cheap rookie deal to develop while Watson toils away.

Overall, this is a general step in the right direction, though the organization's refusal to just cut Watson loose has fans unhappy. Browns ownership made this bed and now must sleep in it, much to Cleveland's chagrin.

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