Did Jimmy Haslam initiate the Deshaun Watson trade? Will the Browns try to recoup some of the money?
www.cleveland.com
Q: Did Browns owner Jimmy Haslam initiate the Watson trade with Houston?
A: No. Haslam didn’t initiate the trade with Houston, one that sent a net a five draft picks, including three first-rounders to the Texans. The Browns, as an organization, determined that they needed a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback to get them to the Super Bowl, and that their 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield wasn’t the answer. The decision-makers, including GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski, collectively decided that Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler, would be an upgrade.
But when Watson decided during the four-team sweepstakes — Browns, Saints, Falcons and Panthers — that he didn’t want to come to Cleveland, Haslam stepped in and upped the ante to the $230 million contract, the first fully-guaranteed pact in the history of the NFL. Watson jumped at it, and the deal was done.
As fate would have it, Watson has gone 9-10 in three seasons, and Mayfield has the Bucs in the playoffs with a chance to scare every team they face.
Q: Will the Browns go after some of the remaining $92 million now that Watson re-ruptured the Achilles?
A: It’s doubtful that Watson was engaging in a prohibited activity when he rolled his ankle in Miami. The contract stipulates, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, that it voids if Watson was injured “as a result of skydiving, hang gliding, rock or mountain climbing, racing of any kind including as a driver or passenger, motorcycling, use of any off-road or all-terrain vehicle, professional wrestling, boxing, use of firearms, scuba diving, jet skiing, surfing, bungee jumping, basketball, diving, and snow or water skiing.”
Granted, Watson had been rehabbing in sunny Miami since undergoing the surgery Oct. 25th, but the notion of him jet skiing two months after major surgery jumps the shark.
The Browns made it clear in their statement on Friday that Watson, during his exit physical on Sunday, “complained of discomfort after rolling his ankle in Miami.”
What we don’t know yet is how or when he actually rolled it. Watson posted photos of himself on Instagram on Dec. 26th out of his walking boot for the first time with the caption Back on My Feet! MORE GLORY!” If Watson was posting such photos of himself, he undoubtedly had been given the green light to shed the boot by a member of his medical team. When it came to his recovery from the fractured shoulder, he followed the protocol closely even when he felt he could do more.
Nevertheless, sometime in the 10 days between then and his exit-physical on Jan. 5, he somehow rolled the ankle in Miami.
Cleveland.com had reported on Dec. 10 that Watson was rehabbing in Miami and Cleveland after undergoing surgery to repair the ruptured Achilles on October 25th with Dr. Anderson. Most of the rehab took place in Miami, where Watson worked with his private physical therapist Billy Voltaire. Watson also purchased a home in Miami over a year ago.
The Browns undoubtedly would’ve liked Watson to spend more time rehabbing in Cleveland and engaging with his teammates, but he had their approval to train in Miami, and the rehab protocol was a joint effort between Dr. Anderson and the Browns medical staff.
Last year, when Watson underwent surgery to repair his fractured glenoid bone in Los Angeles, the Browns permitted him to rehab in L.A. under the guidance of his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
The Browns will surely do their diligence to get to the bottom of exactly what happened, but it’s doubtful Watson took himself out of the walking boot.
Q: Will he still get all of the money?
A: Watson is under contract for two more seasons — through 2026 — at an average of $46 million a year. He’s still due all of that money because the contract is fully-guaranteed and only void for certain reasons, including the above activities.
Some sites have shown Watson enjoying time on a yacht with his girlfriend, Jilly Anais, but at least some of those photos and videos were from an offseason trip to Croatia.
Besides, boating is not a prohibited activity per his contract. With Watson rupturing his Achilles Oct. 20th vs. the Bengals, the Browns understand that this was a football injury, and the re-tear is unlikely to get them off the hook.
Q: What about insurance?
A: One way the Browns might get some money back is in the form of an insurance policy against an injury of this magnitude. The Browns likely protected themselves in this way, and could have something to show for their troubles. Watson has started only 19 of 51 possible games over the past three seasons, with 20 of those 32 absences due to injury.
Q: What did his recent contract restructure do?
A: Watson’s contract restructure last month added two more “void” or ghost years to the deal in which to spread out the enormous cap hits. The void years now go through 2030. If the Browns decide to part ways with Watson after this season, they’ll still have a $73 million dead cap charge in 2026, but they might be able to live with that. As it stands, his cap charges for 2025 and 2026 are $73 million, but the Browns will restructure again this season to lower the cap hit and give him another restructure bonus. He’ll get the $230 million one way or the other. It’s just a matter of when.
Q: Will he rehab in Cleveland?
A: Watson will probably rehab in Miami again, but will likely return to Cleveland once he’s ready to practice, which could be sometime during camp. In the meantime, the Browns will find another starting quarterback or two for 2025, in the draft, free agency, or a trade. Watson was unlikely to win the starting job out of camp even before the setback as worked his way back from the original surgery. If anything, it impacts their backup job in 2025.
