Deshaun Watson‘s career has featured high highs and low lows.
As the 2024 season looms, what are his prospects going forward?
Deshaun Watson’s Roller Coaster Ride
Watson was born in Gainsville, Georgia on September 14, 1995.
During high school, Watson broke “Georgia state records for passing touchdowns, all-purpose yards, and passing yards.”
As a five-star recruit, he was rated by ESPN as the nation’s No. 1 quarterback in the 2014 recruiting class. He chose to go to Clemson.
Clemson Tigers Legend
Watson’s college career at Clemson was the stuff of legends, featuring a national championship and All-American accolades. In Clemson’s victory over Alabama in the national championship game played on January 9, 2017, Watson was named the Offensive Player of the Game.
Watson played three seasons for Clemson, opting to enter the 2017 NFL Draft after his junior year.
Watson is regarded as a college football legend and the greatest Clemson Tiger of all time.
Terrific Beginning to NFL Career
The beginning of Watson’s NFL career was extraordinary. Selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, Watson made the All-Rookie team. He followed that up with three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons.
In September 2020, Watson and the Texans entered into a four-year deal that made Watson the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, behind only Aaron Rodgers.
However, following the 2020 season, Watson requested a trade from the Texans, as he and the team’s front office were not seeing eye to eye. The Associated Press reported Watson was “unhappy with the direction” the team was headed.
Thereafter, things went south for Watson.
Scandal Culminating in Dan Patrick’s Public Excoriation of Watson
Sexual assault allegations from multiple accusers led to Watson missing the entire 2021 season.
Although he remained on the Texans’ 53-man roster, he was ruled out of every game in 2021 for “non-injury reasons/personal matter“.
Per Forbes:
“Watson was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by 26 women in 2021 and 2022. According to multiple allegations, Watson would schedule a massage with a female therapist. Once alone with the therapist, he would try to coerce her into various sexual acts. In addition to the unrelenting sexual requests, several therapists described that Watson intentionally exposed his penis and touched them with it. One said he ejaculated on her arm. Others report that he touched them inappropriately. Watson has denied all the accusations.”
The allegations resulted in 26 civil lawsuits against Watson and a criminal grand jury investigation.
Watson lost lucrative endorsement deals as a result of the scandal, including a deal with Nike.
The criminal investigation did not make headway. Two separate Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson.
While Watson was in the throes of the scandal, the Texans traded Watson and a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for three first-round draft picks, a third-round draft pick and two fourth-round draft picks. Watson’s deal with the Browns is discussed below.
Over the course of the scandal, Watson was confronted with prominent, widespread, negative media coverage. In 2022, the New York Times reported:
“Watson booked massage therapy sessions with at least 66 women over the span of 17 months. The report also found that a Houston-based spa and the Texans ‘enabled’ his massage habit and that the franchise provided facilities and nondisclosure agreements for his sessions.”
He faced difficult questions from the media.
Deshaun Watson asked by Browns reporters why he should be believed over 26 women: "I understand that question and I definitely respect it. … I've been honest and I've truthful with my stance, I never forced anyone, I never assaulted anyone."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 14, 2022
The civil lawsuits against Watson were settled out of court.
Despite the outcome of the civil litigation and the criminal investigation, the NFL suspended Watson for the first 11 games of the 2022 season and fined him $5 million for violating league’s personal conduct policy. Watson was also required to “participate in treatment.”
In the aftermath of the civil litigation, criminal investigation, and imposition of NFL sanctions, Watson addressed the media in an effort to change the narrative. He stated:
“The whole situation changed me. You know in a situation where I just kind of [thought] I had to lock in on myself you know. Channel and really know who I’m surrounding myself with, and just really [know] who’s going to be there and support me even while I’m at my lowest point. The last two years was definitely my lowest point of my life, but that’s part of life. I just go from it, I learn from it, I continue to move forward and push forward and continue to show my real character[,] my real personality[,] and who I am.”
Dan Patrick, took umbrage at Watson’s efforts to change the narrative. Patrick said:
“Okay you’re a creep, you got caught, and you’re now in Cleveland. They overpaid for you, that’s their problem. Maybe you lead them to the promised land, maybe you win the division, but that’s a team … [that’s now] really difficult to root for.”
Watson’s Staggering Contract with the Cleveland Browns
Before all of the repercussions of the scandal had come to fruition, the Texans, as noted, traded Watson to the Browns. And, during the 2022 offseason, the Browns signed Watson to a massive five-year contract worth a guaranteed $230 million.
Sports Illustrated characterized the move by the Browns as a “risky decision” and reported that it “was met with … criticism.”
The enormous financial ramifications of the Browns’ deal with Watson can be readily seen by looking at the deal’s impact on the Browns’ 2024 salary cap:
The 2024 NFL salary cap for each team is $255,400,000.00.
Per overthecap.com, the Browns will take a $63,977,000 cap hit for Watson’s deal in 2024, meaning that Watson alone takes up a staggering 25% of the Browns’ entire cap space for the year. His is the biggest cap hit in the entire league.
— Victor H. (@vshjah_Victor) March 24, 2024
Is Watson On the Way Back?
Watson got off to a shaky start in Cleveland.
He played in only six games for the Browns in the 2022 season and also played in only six games for the team in 2023. He missed 11 games in 2022 due to the suspension discussed above and posted a passer rating of only 79.1 in the six games he played. He missed the majority of the 2023 season due to a right shoulder injury that required surgery.
However, there is some cause for optimism going forward.
On March 27, 2024, Sports Illustrated reported:
“Cleveland is entering year three of the Deshaun Watson experiment[,] and his recovery from shoulder surgery remains a major hurdle for the veteran signal caller to clear. The good news is things appear to be trending in the right direction for the former Texans QB.
“‘He’s in a great place physically,’ [Browns Head Coach Kevin] Stefanski said on [March 25, 2024] at the NFL’s annual owner’s meetings…. ‘He’s doing a great job with his rehab….
“Coming off of his season ending glenoid fracture in his throwing shoulder shoulder in 2023, Watson who is out in Los Angeles rehabbing, appears on track to begin working with the team when spring practices open up in April…. Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey went out to visit their star quarterback earlier this month and seemed to like what they saw in terms of his recovery.
“The last time that Watson played a full season, he was one of the best players in the entire NFL. The only problem is that was nearly five years ago in 2020. Cleveland is hoping Watson can get his career back on track in 2024.
“Year three in Cleveland feels like a make-or-break season for Watson and the Browns. He has shown signs of his greatness in his limited time with the franchise but has yet to be able to string consistent success together, all the while being surrounded by a roster that is ready-made to win now.
“Under Dorsey, the Browns’ offense will depend heavily on Watson getting back to that 2020 version of himself. Historically, when Dorsey’s offense gets rolling on all cylinders it’s because the passing game is really in sync.
“Andrew Berry and the Browns front office has put the pieces in place around Watson to be successful. It is now up to him to get through this offseason healthy and start 2024 sharp and ready to take the league by storm.”
Continued reporting on the status of Watson’s effort to get back on track during the 2024 season will be offered here at Gridiron Heroics.
For more related sports news, focused primarily on the USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, and Los Angeles Rams, please follow me at @vshjah_Victor.
