3 quarterbacks who would be benched or cut this offseason if money was no object

1. The Deshaun Watson contract will go down as the worst deal in NFL history

Where do we even begin with the abject catastrophe that is the Deshaun Watson contract? The Browns infuriated everyone around the league by first trading for Watson, then bestowing upon him a fully guaranteed, $230 million deal, ignoring not only his personal and legal problems off the field, but the fact that he missed the entire 2021 season before joining the team.

Maybe if Watson was Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen he would have been worth such a landmark deal, but since joining the Browns, Watson's QBR has been more in line with Aidan O'Connell or Desmond Ridder. The Browns have one of the best offensive lines and running games in the league, but with Watson under center, they haven't looked like a top offense.

Watson hasn't even been able to stay on the field, playing in only six games in each of his first two seasons in Cleveland. Worse still, the Browns offense didn't look much different without their expensive quarterback, as Kevin Stefanski's group fought their way to an 11-6 record and a Wild Card spot despite rolling out Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, and Jeff Driskel under center.

Oh, and a grizzled old man named Joe Flacco, who quite literally rolled off his couch and took the Browns offense to heretofore unseen heights. Flacco was such an improvement over Watson that he took home the Comeback Player of the Year award even though he played in only five regular season games. Even worse, fan-favorite Baker Mayfield thrived this past year in Tampa Bay after being run out of town to make room for Watson.

To give you an idea of just how onerous Watson's contract is, cutting him this offseason would accelerate a $200 million hit to the Browns' salary cap in 2024, which is over 80% of the total Cleveland is allowed to spend on players. Watson's presence has been so toxic and the fanbase is so sick of him that it may be worth it anyway.

When thinking about the worst things to happen to Cleveland sports--Ernest Byner's fumble, LeBron leaving for Miami, Edgar Renteria's Game 7 winner off Charles Nagy--Watson's very presence may take the cake. Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry has publicly expressed confidence in Watson going forward, but if given a magic lamp, I think he'd pull a muscle rubbing that thing so fast to wish Watson away.