The Cleveland Browns had no choice but to replace Deshaun Watson with Jameis Winston after the former suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, at least one NFL analyst predicts the franchise will keep Watson benched in favor of Winston next season of its own accord — even once Watson returns to full health.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report took a deep dive into the upcoming QB carousel, which will officially begin in March of next year and change the face of the league at its most important position.
“The 30-year-old 2015 No. 1 overall pick has experienced somewhat of a rejuvenation in place of the injured Watson in Cleveland. It he keeps it up, it might be enough to dethrone Watson for good,” Gagnon wrote. “I’m sure [the Browns] do their best to trade Watson, but the guy has just become toxic in every way. They’re stuck paying him, so they might as well let him fight with Winston. That said, I’d expect Winston to enter camp as the clear-cut No. 1.”
Browns Have Needed Replacement QBs for Deshaun Watson in Each of Past 3 Seasons
The Browns still owe Watson for two more seasons of his five-year, $230 million contract, which they fully guaranteed through the 2026 campaign. Due to restructures that have pushed tens of millions of that deal down the road, the quarterback carries $73 million salary cap hits in each of the next two seasons.
That deal has severely limited the options at Cleveland’s disposal when it comes to backup quarterbacks, who have been needed to fill in for Watson across 11 games in each 2022 and 2023. That number will hit 10 games in 2024 by the time this season ends.
The Browns got away with inking Joe Flacco late last year and ended up in the playoffs as the AFC’s top wildcard team, though their run ended abruptly via a blowout loss to the Houston Texans over Super Wildcard Weekend.
Cleveland also appears to have found a meaningful contributor in Winston, who is 2-2 on the season with victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers — both of which are AFC North Division rivals and likely to make noise in the upcoming playoffs. Winston is currently playing on a one-year contract worth $4 million.
Browns May Not Be Able to Afford Upgrade Over Jameis Winston Next Season
The Browns will probably have to up Winston’s annual salary and sign him to a multiyear deal to get him back to Cleveland next year, as the QB will enter a weak unrestricted free agent class come March and could have options elsewhere.
Paying anyone much more money than the $4 million the Browns are paying Winston in 2024 will be an onerous task for the front office, unless it decides to rework Watson’s deal again and push more money down the road. However, that will mean his albatross contract will continue to haunt the team’s cap sheet long after it finally expires.
Cleveland (3-8) is in line for a solid draft pick, and would select No. 8 overall were the NFL to hold those proceedings tomorrow. But the 2025 QB draft class is also relatively weak, and there are enough desperate teams currently ahead of the Browns in the draft order that it is feasible all of the first-round quarterback prospects could be off the board before Cleveland is on the clock.
As such, Winston is the safest and most solid of bets for the Browns, and could also still end up the cheapest.
