Browns QB Deshaun Watson Drops 4-Word Announcement on Future

Deshaun Watson’s future on the field with the Cleveland Browns remains uncertain — but off the field, his plans are coming into focus.

Watson is rehabbing from an Achilles injury but has been keeping himself busy. He recently proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Jilly Anais. She posted pictures with Watson in March, announcing their engagement.

On Tuesday, Anais made another announcement, posting photos with the Browns QB and tagging him.

The caption read, “The Watsons… coming soon,” and the couple posed in a yellow Ferrari.

Browns Publicly Moved on From Deshaun Watson

The Browns made a blockbuster move to acquire Watson in 2022, sending a massive haul of draft picks to the Houston Texans and signing the former Pro Bowler to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. But since then, Watson’s time in Cleveland has been marred by off-field controversy, injuries, and inconsistent play.

He remains the highest-paid player on the roster, yet his role moving forward is in serious doubt. Watson is recovering from a ruptured Achilles — an injury he initially suffered in October and re-aggravated during rehab, leading to a second surgery in January. He’s expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season.

In his absence, the Browns have moved forward with a crowded quarterback room featuring veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Even if Watson returns to full health, it’s unlikely he reclaims a starting role in Cleveland. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam acknowledged the trade for Watson as a failure for the first time this offseason.

“We took a big swing-and-miss with Deshaun,” Haslam said recently at the league’s annual meeting. “We thought we had the quarterback; we didn’t. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him, so we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole.

“… [The trade] was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee [Haslam] and I, so hold us accountable.”

Browns Gearing Up for Heated QB Competition

With Watson now out of the mix, the Browns are looking for their next solution at quarterback. Cleveland took two shots on quarterbacks in the draft, selecting Gabriel in the third round and Sanders in the fifth.

The Browns didn’t intend to bring in two rookie passers. But the team felt the value with Sanders, projected by most as a first-round pick, was too good to pass up at pick No. 144.

“We felt like it wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks,” Browns general manager Berry told reporters after the draft. “But as we talk about, we do believe in best player available, we do believe in positional value, and we didn’t necessarily expect him to be available in the fifth round. We love adding competition to every position room and adding him to compete with the guys that are already in there. We felt like that was the appropriate thing to do.”

Gabriel, Sanders, and the rest of the Browns rookies have officially joined the veterans, signaling the start of the quarterback competition in Cleveland.