Did Deshaun Watson contract create issues in Browns locker room?

A January report indicated that at least some veteran Cleveland Browns players were done with quarterback Deshaun Watson after he tore his Achilles for the second time while rehabbing the initial injury he suffered this past October. 

On the latest edition of his "Terry’s Talkin'" podcast, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested that the Browns handing Watson a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract in March 2022 "created significant locker room issues" and played a part in All-Pro pass-rusher Myles Garrett going public with a trade request following the 2024 season. 

Garrett ultimately signed a four-year, $160M contract extension that included $123.5M guaranteed to stay with the Browns. 

"I believe part of Myles Garrett’s discontent was that Watson contract," Pluto explained. "Because it’s not just the money there and that. And like, you pick this guy from another team with all his baggage to give him that kind of cash. And I’m sure if Myles was [upset]...other players were thinking the same thing."

The Browns were widely criticized for the Watson contract because of the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions that hovered over him when Cleveland acquired him from the Houston Texans. He eventually missed the first 11 games of the 2022 season while serving a suspension related to those accusations after a pair of grand juries declined to indict him. 

Watson's poor play and his inability to stay healthy led to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam acknowledging in March that the team "took a big swing and miss" by trading for the 29-year-old. In total, Watson has made just 19 regular-season starts during his Browns tenure, and he was arguably the league's worst QB this past fall before he tore his Achilles on Oct. 20. 

It's widely believed he'll never play another meaningful down for the organization. 

"The big problem wasn’t the offense with Watson," Pluto added. "It was Watson. I mean, I don’t care what offense you put him in. He stunk."

Fan-favorite Joe Flacco, 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett and perhaps a rookie will compete this summer to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter. Pluto is among those convinced that a healthy Watson won't be welcomed back into the Cleveland lineup at any point, even if it's clear come January 2026 that the team's long-term answer at the sport's most important position isn't on the roster.