Three-time Pro Bowler whose Browns contract has become one of the league's most discussed trade liabilities.
Deshaun Watson sits at a career crossroads. The 2024 Achilles tear required two surgeries and kept him out for all of 2025. Cleveland enters 2026 with him under contract through 2026 on a fully guaranteed deal, and the team has held the No. 1 pick at multiple drafts trying to find an offensive answer around him.
Path to the league
Clemson national champion in 2016 who beat Alabama 35-31 to win the title. Texans took him 12th overall in 2017. Three Pro Bowls and a 2020 NFL passing yards title in Houston. Traded to Cleveland in March 2022 in a deal that included three first-round picks and a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
Career highlights
3x Pro Bowler. 2020 NFL passing yards leader (4,823). 2016 College Football Playoff National Champion (Clemson). Career: 22,000-plus passing yards, 150-plus TDs, 60.3 career completion percentage.
2025 season and outlook
Did not play. Suffered an Achilles re-rupture in January 2025 after appearing close to a return. Cleveland started Jameis Winston, Bailey Zappe and rookie Shedeur Sanders in 2025. Watson is expected to be cleared for OTAs in June 2026 but the team has not committed to him as the starter.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Deshaun Watson
- Pro Football Reference: Deshaun Watson
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Passing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | browns | 3 | 56 | 82 | 587 | 5 | 1 | 104.1 | 62.3 |
| 2024 | browns | 7 | 137 | 216 | 1,148 | 5 | 3 | 79.0 | 21.0 |
| 2023 | browns | 6 | 105 | 171 | 1,115 | 7 | 4 | 84.3 | 43.7 |
| 2022 | browns | 6 | 99 | 170 | 1,102 | 7 | 5 | 79.1 | 40.4 |
| 2020 | texans | 16 | 382 | 544 | 4,823 | 33 | 7 | 112.4 | 63.7 |
| 2019 | texans | 15 | 333 | 495 | 3,852 | 26 | 12 | 98.0 | 70.5 |
| 2018 | texans | 16 | 345 | 505 | 4,165 | 26 | 9 | 103.1 | 61.8 |
| 2017 | texans | 7 | 126 | 204 | 1,699 | 19 | 8 | 103.0 | 83.7 |
▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | browns | 3 | 24 | 105 | 4.4 | 0 | 21 |
| 2024 | browns | 7 | 31 | 148 | 4.8 | 1 | 16 |
| 2023 | browns | 6 | 26 | 142 | 5.5 | 1 | 16 |
| 2022 | browns | 6 | 36 | 175 | 4.9 | 1 | 21 |
| 2020 | texans | 16 | 90 | 444 | 4.9 | 3 | 16 |
| 2019 | texans | 15 | 82 | 413 | 5.0 | 7 | 30 |
| 2018 | texans | 16 | 99 | 551 | 5.6 | 5 | 34 |
| 2017 | texans | 7 | 36 | 269 | 7.5 | 2 | 49 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Clemson
- Hometown
- Gainesville, GA, USA
- Age
- 31
- Status
- active
Latest news about Deshaun Watson
All news →Browns Edge Panthers 21-18 in Week 3
Cleveland Browns 21, Carolina Panthers 18 at Huntington Bank Field. Deshaun Watson went 16 of 30 for 144 yards with 2 touchdowns.
Browns Beat Buccaneers 23-19 in Week 2
Cleveland Browns 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 at Raymond James Stadium. Deshaun Watson went 24 of 30 for 238 yards with 2 touchdowns.
Jaguars Rout Browns 34-10 in Week 1
Jacksonville Jaguars 34, Cleveland Browns 10 at EverBank Stadium. Trevor Lawrence went 18 of 23 for 245 yards with 4 touchdowns.
Browns' Deshaun Watson Pleads Not Guilty to August Speeding Citation
Watson was cited for driving 86 mph in a 60 zone on I-480 in Cleveland on Aug. 26; a trial date is set for Sept. 23, and the citation has no bearing on his Week 1 start.
AI Predicts Every Week 1 Game of the 2026 NFL Season
Touchdown Week's model went 26 of 49 on preseason winners. Now the picks that count: a projected score, win probability and confidence rating for all 16 Week 1 games, from the Super Bowl rematch in Seattle to Mahomes' return on Monday night.
Watson Calls Home Boos 'Disrespectful' as Sanders Makes His Case in Cleveland Loss
Update: with his job reportedly under evaluation, Watson went 24 of 30 with two touchdowns in a 23-19 win at Tampa Bay. "I thought he played his a-- off," Todd Monken said, without naming a Week 3 starter.
