The Cleveland Browns have made a lot of mistakes in their franchise history, especially in recent years. While letting Baker Mayfield walk was a poor decision, it wasn’t even remotely close to the worst QB move they’ve made in the last decade.
With their long history of struggling to find a franchise quarterback, it’s not a surprise that the biggest mistake in franchise history is also their most overpaid player currently on the roster.
As Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon notes, $230 million quarterback Deshaun Watson is easily the most overpaid player on the Browns roster. This is such an obvious pick not just for the Browns, but across the entire NFL.
Deshaun Watson easily most overpaid player for Browns, likely NFL
“The 12th-highest-paid player in football has thrown 19 touchdown passes since the end of the 2020 season,” Gagnon writes. “Enough said. Since this is such an obvious pick, we’ll also mention declining cornerback Denzel Ward and his ridiculous $30.9 million 2026 cap hit.”
While Denzel Ward might have a bit of a big cap hit for the Browns, he’s at least still on the field and producing like a competent cornerback at worst for the Browns.
Watson, on the other hand, isn’t just eating up a ridiculous $44.9 million in cap space this season; he’s also on the books for $36 million in 2027 and $51 million in 2028.
To make matters worse, the Browns will have to continue to borrow from the future to make any roster moves over the offseason, all because of the massive whiff on Watson.
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Since 2020, his third Pro Bowl season with the Houston Texans, Watson has played in just 19 games in the five years since. He has a 9-10 record with 19 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions with a rough 80.7 passer rating.
Watson is not only the biggest overpaid player for the Browns and in the entire NFL, but Cleveland gave up three first-round picks, plus two fourths and a third, to acquire him.
There might not be a worse trade and extension in professional sports history than what the Browns did with Watson in 2022.
When it comes to the “most overpaid player” in the NFL, the easy answer for now, and likely for the rest of history, will be Watson. His $230 million contract, fully guaranteed, is arguably the biggest disastrous roster move in NFL and professional sports history.
