Karma Appears To Have Zapped Deshaun Watson of His Football-Playing Ability

There's almost nothing a consensus can be formed on in America anymore, and the next two months will be a clear reminder of that. 

However, when 24 women sued quarterback Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions and even more were included in a settlement with the Houston Texans, we came pretty close to a consensus. It's hard to believe that with that many accusers Watson didn't have a predatory pattern. 

With that acknowledged, my expectation when Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns and rewarded with a five-year, fully-guaranteed contract was that his story would play out like Ben Roethlisberger's. Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault by two different women early in his career, but was a Hall of Fame-level player and almost universally celebrated in his final season because he had kept himself out of trouble for close to a decade. That's not to say Roethlisberger should have been treated like a hero, but he mostly was. 

Increasingly, though, it doesn't appear Watson is going to be able to revitalize his career and reputation the way Roethlisberger was. First of all, while the allegations are different, the sheer number of accusers for Watson is hard to get by. Secondly, Watson's accusers came forward post Me Too, so society was more likely to take them seriously than they were when Roethlisberger was accused. But the biggest thing working against Watson — even if this shouldn't be the case — is he flat out can't play anymore. 

The two primary focuses of Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-Browns game figured to be A) Tom Brady's broadcasting debut and B) How Dak Prescott looked after signing a mega extension. 

Instead, the Browns were throttled 33-17, with the biggest takeaway being Watson throwing two interceptions and looking completely lost at the start of his third season in Cleveland: 

I mean…. pic.twitter.com/FL94HspoBJ

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 8, 2024

It's been a while, so it's worth remembering just how gifted Watson was when he entered the league. In parts of four seasons with the Texans, Watson threw 104 touchowns to 36 interceptions, while adding another 17 rushing touchdowns. Him and Nick Foles going throw-for-throw in the classic Week 16 game at Lincoln Financial Field in 2018 is one of the better Eagles games I ever remember watching. 

So I figured when Watson got traded to the Browns, he would reclaim his status as one of the game's elite quarterbacks. Instead, he's never shaken off the rust of missing the entire 2021 season and then serving an 11-game suspension in 2022. The electric athleticism he had early in his career is gone. And perhaps above all else, he appears to have melted down under the weight of being the most notorious player in the league. Watson has played in 13 games with the Browns over three seasons, and right now, it feels hard to imagine him ever getting back on track. 

Adding insult to injury for the Browns is they threw Baker Mayfield overboard for Watson. Mayfield led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs a season ago, and tossed four touchdown passes in a season-opening win over the Washington Commanders Sunday. Mayfield may not be perfect, but if the Browns had him at quarterback right now, they would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender given the rest of the talent on their roster. 

Instead, this is only the third year of a five-year/$230 million contract that's fully guaranteed. According to Spotrac, the Browns would have to take a $172 million dead cap hit if they released Watson after this season. It would be a $99 million dead cap hit to cut him after 2025. This may get to a point where the Browns bench Watson, and maybe even make him inactive on game days. But he's almost certainly going to be an employee of the Browns organization through the 2026 season. 

Maybe karma is alive and well after all.