now, we all know that the Deshaun Watson trade has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster for the Cleveland Browns. They surrendered a treasure trove of assets to the Houston Texans while also handing Watson a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract in the process.
Watson has played in a grand total of 19 games in three seasons for the Browns, and when he has played, he generally hasn’t been very good.
Now, the 29-year-old is recovering from a torn Achilles and will almost certainly miss all of 2025, and while that is definitely unfortunate for all parties involved, there may be somewhat of a silver lining for Cleveland in the midst of all the muck.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has revealed that Watson’s contract contains an insurance addendum that protects the Browns against injury, and its specifically states that any injured suffered between the 2024 offseason and the 2025 offseason allows for $58.76 million to be recovered by Cleveland.
That is a substantial amount of money, and it will absolutely make the $130 million still owed to Watson more palatable for the Browns.
There is a caveat, though: insurance actually has to pay that out for Cleveland.
“If, that is, they actually collect on the policy,” Florio wrote. “Insurance companies love taking money in. They hate paying money out. And with more than $55 million on the line, the insurance company’s lawyers will be scouring the policy for any and all exceptions or exclusions that would justify a denial.”
Watson appeared in seven contests this past season, throwing for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 63.4 percent of his passes.
Throughout his entire tenure in Cleveland, he has totaled 19 passing touchdowns and 12 picks while registering a completion percentage of 61.2 percent. He also owns an 80.7 passer rating.
