It’s a bit of a mystery as to what the Cleveland Browns are going to do at quarterback to open the 2025 season, with Deshaun Watson’s return date unclear after getting surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles in January.
One move the team made was to trade for Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles, but his having just 15 career touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 30 appearances makes him a risky option.
That’s why, in an article for Fox Sports, NFL reporter Greg Auman predicts that the Browns will sign 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson.
“He’s been mentioned with the Giants and will visit there Friday, but his first visit is to Cleveland,” Auman wrote. “The Browns, having locked up Myles Garrett, want to be a competitive team, but their cap flexibility is hamstrung by Deshaun Watson’s contract. Would Wilson take less money just to have a team that will give him one more starting opportunity? Start slow, and Wilson’s career ends with him being replaced by Kenny Pickett.”
Wilson did play solid for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, starting 11 games and completing 214-of-336 passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 95.6 passer rating.
Even if it was in more games, those numbers were much better than Watson’s seven starts last season, completing 137-of-216 passes for five touchdowns, three interceptions and a 79.0 passer rating.
Of course, one of the other huge factors in this scenario is Watson’s lucrative contract, as he still has two seasons left on his five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million deal.
That makes it hard to know if the Browns would also want to dish out a deal to Wilson, whose market value currently sits at $38.7 million annually, per Spotrac.
