Why Browns were ‘never’ going to release Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns have decided on their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the NFL season. Todd Monken has named Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback for the Browns.

Now, Ian Rapoport is explaining why Watson was never going to be cut in favor of Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, speaking on NFL Network.

“Deshaun Watson was never going to be cut. You can’t do that. The cap number is too big.” Rapoport said. “And also, he is their starting quarterback. That is the number one reason. He played better than Shedeur Sanders in the entire product, as the guys were talking about. So there really was no doubt, the entire time, that Deshaun Watson was going to be the starting quarterback, and to get to that decision, Todd Monken essentially had to ignore everything Deshaun Watson said the other night.”

Watson is heading into year five of a deal he signed with the Browns. Cutting him would result in over $127 million in dead cap space, spread out over the next four seasons.

Meanwhile, Watson called out Browns fans the other night.

“It has nothing to do with the performance. It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. It’s a disrespectful thing,” Watson said. “The last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fan base cheered when I got hurt.”

Watson has not done much to endear himself to fans since joining the franchise. He did not play in 2021 for the Houston Texans due to pending sexual harassment allegations.  He was then traded in a massive deal to the Cleveland Browns, who gave up three first-round picks for the quarterback and got a new deal with the team. Then, the quarterback got a five-year deal worth $230 million, which was fully guaranteed.

Watson did not play much in his first season with the team, being suspended for the first 11 regular-season games and not playing until Week 13. He then played just six games in 2023 before needing season-ending shoulder surgery. Watson played seven games in 2024 before rupturing his Achilles and needing surgery. He would then re-injure his Achilles and miss all of 2025. Overall, in four years, Watson has played just 19 games, going 9-10 as the quarterback. He has also thrown for just 3,360 yards and 17 touchdowns, while throwing 12 interceptions.

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