NFL insider reveals what life is really like with Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns
Share:
Three years ago, the Cleveland Browns decided to ignore sexual misconduct lawsuits against Deshaun Watson to acquire the scandalized Houston Texans quarterback for three first-round picks and sign him to a fully guaranteed $230 million extension. Now, after a brutal 3-14 campaign that included two Achilles injuries for Watson, The Athletic is characterizing that trade as the 'biggest mistake in franchise history.'.
![[Browns fan wears a paepr bag over his head during the second quarter of a NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field on October 20]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/15/20/94139521-14289335-image-a-10_1736974612756.jpg)
Things got so bad for Watson, his agent allegedly received a death threat aimed at the struggling signal caller, although a suspect has never been identified in the case. And things weren't much better for him inside the Browns' locker room. Some Browns players reportedly confessed to being relieved when the injured Watson was replaced with backup Jameis Winston in October.
'Players told me there was a constant heaviness surrounding Watson in the locker room and that they felt a different energy in the building upon his departure after his Achilles injury in October,' Jason Lloyd wrote for The Athletic. 'A couple of veterans told me it felt like a cloud had been lifted.'.
Watson, whose status for 2025 remains up in the air, was reportedly coddled by coaches. His grasp of coach Kevin Stefanski's west coast scheme became an issue in Cleveland, particularly after veteran Joe Flacco managed to pick it up rather quickly when Watson went down with a shoulder injury in 2023.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is carted off the field after being injured. 'You have to bring Joe back; somebody has to teach Deshaun the offense,' one member of the organization told The Athletic. 'Joe picked it up faster in 30 days than Deshaun has in two years.'.
