Cris Carter Explains Why Cleveland Browns Can’t Move On From Deshaun Watson With $86.2M Cap Hit

The Cleveland Browns’ five-year, $230-million deal with Deshaun Watson, signed in March 2022, has lived in infamy for quite some time now. And it figures to be a while, if ever, before the franchise will be allowed to move on from its implications.

Watson is now entering the final year of his contract, and he hasn’t played a single down since October of 2023. So it is natural for us to wonder whether or not he’ll even be a starter in 2026.

According to NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter, the franchise has no choice but to retain him, especially since Shedeur Sanders is the only other notable quarterback in the room.

“They are going to keep him around and restructure his contract again,” Carter said during the latest episode of his Fully Loaded podcast. “It’s still too much guaranteed money just to cut him.”

After years of injuries, suspensions, and other frustrations, Carter is confident that Watson is “going to get a great opportunity.” If the 30-year-old quarterback makes the most of it, then we could witness the early stages of one of the most unlikely resurgences in NFL history.

“What a story that would be,” Carter added. “Because everyone has given up on him.”

Then again, people had every reason to give up on Watson. Apart from the extracurricular activities that ultimately resulted in him violating the league’s personal conduct policy, the last time that anyone saw him in a Browns’ jersey was during the midst of a five-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, the Browns have done their best to minimize the damage. Recently, they reworked Watson’s contract yet again to default more than $44 million into future void years. However, even that is proving to be a double-edged sword, as even though it lowers his 2026 cap hit by more than $35 million, it also raises his 2027 dead cap hit to a staggering $86.2 million.

In other words, Cleveland will have to continually eat this contract for years to come. While the particulars of the deal have never been particularly pretty, what has always made it the most futile one in recent memory is just how little of a return Cleveland has gotten on it.

Since 2022, Watson has started in a total of just 19 games. And the Browns lost 10 of them. So even though Carter suggests that Watson is still capable of finally providing the franchise with some type of dividend, it would ultimately be too little too late for a club that has cemented itself as the laughing stock of the league.