Browns go to extreme measures to hide their biggest Deshaun Watson mistake

The Cleveland Browns sold their soul for what they thought was a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. In doing so, they forfeited the moral high ground, at least for as long as I'm around. Watson was accused of sexual assault by dozens of women -- specifically many massage therapists -- a matter that was eventually decided in civil court. He served a lengthy NFL suspension.

The Browns don't care about any of that. The vast majority of their fanbase defends the man like he's the Dalai Lama. It's gross, and I'm putting it lightly.

Thankfully, for those of us who still have said soul, the Browns have underachieved with Watson at the helm, much thanks to the quarterback himself. Watson has not responded well to criticism from fans and the media -- even blocking some of them on X -- and is signed to the worst contract in the NFL. It doesn't even out, of course, but it's a start.

Browns can't find a way out of Deshaun Watson's contract

The Browns have tried and failed on multiple occasions to move Watson's money around and perhaps make that deal look a little more...measured. It does not. On Thursday, Cleveland converted over $44 million of Watson's contract into a signing bonus, which cleard $35 million in cap space for this season. The Browns have the most cap room in the NFL this year at $62 million.

All of that sounds good! That is, until one looks at the rest of Watson's contract. There is no outrunning stupid. Sorry, Cleveland.

At some point, Watson's contract will come back to haunt the Browns. It will impact their roster flexibility and spending, because no owner is willing to pay that kind of money for a player who is not performing up to par. Watson hasn't played at an All-Pro level for quite some time now. He is not a $72.9 million player, and the dead cap hits in 2025 and 2026 are just as unkind as this season.

Cleveland's best bet is that Watson turns his career around and takes the Browns on a playoff run. If he fails to do so, Haslam will regret ever giving Watson that contract.

In his two seasons in Cleveland, Watson has started just 12 out of a possible 34 games. Most of those were missed due to suspension or injury. In the games he has started, Watson has just 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.