Make or Break Season for Deshaun Watson: Shannon Sharpe Puts Browns QB Under Maximum Pressure

Deshaun Watson tops CBS Sports’ list of quarterbacks with ‘the most to prove this season,’ and Shannon Sharpe has a word of caution for the Browns star. Despite huge expectations, Watson has failed to deliver significant results for the Browns in his two years with the team. As a result, Sharpe believes that the 2024 season will be a ‘make or break’ season for him.

On an episode of Nightcap, Sharpe noted that since the Browns inked a 5-year, $230 million contract with Watson, the QB has played just 12 games while fully healthy and available. In those games, he had a poor completion rate of 59% and 11 turnovers, nearly matching his 14 total passing touchdowns.

For Sharpe, this is why Watson “is No. 1 on the list.” Considering everything that happened with Watson off the field, especially the serious sexual allegations that led to his 11-game suspension, Sharpe believes people often forget how great a quarterback Watson once was. This also leads to high expectations for him this year, which could ultimately determine his NFL future.

So, when the Browns meet the Cowboys next week for their season opener, Watson will try to make a strong push to justify his paycheck — a paycheck so significant that the team had to restructure it to avoid an NFL salary cap penalty.

Browns struggling to manage Watson’s payout: restructures contract again

The Cleveland Browns’ rash decision to offer Deshaun Watson a record-breaking contract keeps haunting the team. Last year, they restructured the payment terms of what is the highest ‘guaranteed’ deal in the NFL to avoid hitting the salary cap. And this year, the team is back at the drawing board.

The Browns have just converted $44.79 million of the QB’s salary cap into a signing bonus, giving them some breathing room for next year. This will translate to $35.83 million in new cap space, which the team will roll over to next year to address the projected $66 million over-the-cap dilemma they will face.

If Watson performs well for the team this season, all will be well. However, if he gets injured or performs poorly compared to Joe Flacco’s performance last year, the deal between the two parties could go down in NFL history as the worst contract ever signed.