The Houston Texans did more than cut their losses when they traded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns. They also added key components to their roster. Meanwhile, Watson finds himself as the QB of the “All-Overpaid Team” entering Week 1.
Due mostly to injuries, Watson has played in 19 games in three seasons with the Browns.
Cleveland signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract extension after acquiring him in 2022. He is the “best example” on the list, created by Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon.
Watson is the 11th-highest-paid quarterback in the league in terms of total contract value and 13th in average annual salary, per Over The Cap. The Texans once seemed destined to pay up to keep Watson, only for his trade request to be only part of the story explaining his exit.
Deshaun Watson Named ‘All-Overpaid Team’ QB
GettyDeshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns looks on during mandatory minicamp.
Watson’s Texans tenure ended mired in sexual assault allegations, and his Browns career has failed to truly launch amid his repeated injury woes and, when he has been on the field, ineffectiveness.
He is recovering after re-tearing his Achilles. Moreover, Gagnon notes that, even if he is cleared to return this season, Watson may not see the field. The Browns have options.
“His 80.7 passer rating in Cleveland is horrendous,” Gagnon wrote on September 1. “He hasn’t been a significant contributor since 2020, yet he’s set to cost the Browns over $126 million against the cap in the next two seasons. They’ll inevitably find a way to rejig that, but it’s awfully painful regardless.”
The Browns have restructured Watson’s contract twice in the past 12 months, first in December 2024 and then again in March of 2025, with that move freeing up $36 million but still leaving the ex-Texans star with $92 million owed to him.
Watson’s contract expires after the 2026 season, when he will have a $46 million base salary and an $80.7 million cap hit.
Moreover, the Browns will still be paying Watson after that.
Watson will be on the Browns’ books through the 2029 season, with cap hits of (in order), $27 million, $18.1 million, and, finally, $7.98 million, and his performance since his departure underscores how the Texans made the right decision.
Texans Praised Over Deshaun Watson Trade
GettyHouston Texans general manager Nick Caserio looks on before a game against the Chicago Bears.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio lauded Texans general manager Nick Caserio for getting the haul of draft capital that he did in the trade sending Watson to the Browns. The praise came in the wake of the Dallas Cowboys trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Florio took jabs at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones is also the team’s general manager. He has been lambasted by the media for the return he received.
The Cowboys received two first-round draft picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Florio wrote that Caserio “worked the situation masterfully.” He had four teams – the Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints – in a “competition ” for Watson.
“That allowed Caserio to name his price to each of them before they were allowed to even talk to Watson,” Florio wrote on September 1. “The Cowboys could have done the same thing with linebacker Micah Parsons. But, as they often do, they waited too long to make a decision.
“More broadly, the Cowboys all too often seem to lack clear strategic vision.”
The Texans got out from under the specter of Watson’s legal troubles and the cumbersome contract that he received from the Browns.
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