Deshaun Watson, an unfortunate legacy
By Trevor Speetzen January 12, 2025 07:26
In 2020, Deshaun Watson was on top of the world. He came off one of his best seasons in the NFL and was named to his third consecutive pro bowl. In 2020 with the Houston Texans, Watson threw for 4,823 yards with 33 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions.
This would be the peak for Deshaun Watson as his entire legacy would come crashing down in just a few short months afterwards.
In 2021, Watson was named in several class action civil lawsuits for sexual assault by his former massage therapist. At the same time, Watson became disgruntled with the Texans front office and asked for a trade.
The lawsuits alone had already tarnished the legacy of Deshaun Watson as fans and NFL experts began to turn on him. After sitting out the entire 2021 season, the Texans agreed to trade Watson to the Cleveland Browns for a litany of draft picks.
After the trade the Browns immediately inked Watson to a five-year $230 million deal. The trade and the deal has been looked at as one of the worst in NFL history given Watson’s recent performances and the Texans eventual success with their draft picks.
Another thing to note is that Cleveland’s previous quarterback, Baker Mayfield, has been thriving with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield has led the Bucs to back-to-back division titles and was named to a pro bowl in 2023.
At one point in his life, Watson looked like he would have a football legacy that would inspire future generations of football players. Now he has a legacy that future football players would want to deviate away from.
After the trade to the Browns, Watson had a chance to right his own ship. Instead, he has not played one full season with Cleveland and when he was playing he was more than lackluster.
In 19 starts with Cleveland, Watson has amassed a record of 9-10 and hasn’t had one season with a QB rating above 84.
Not only has Watson struggled in the passing game, but his dual-threat rushing ability has gone away as well. The most rushing yards Watson has had in a season with the Browns was 175 yards in 2022.
As mentioned before, Watson has yet to play a full season with Cleveland since the trade. In 2022, Watson missed most of the year due to his suspension stemming from the sexual assault lawsuits.
However in 2023 and in 2024, Watson has missed most of those seasons due to season ending injuries. Watson suffered a shoulder injury in 2023 and then tore his achilles in 2024.
Watson then suffered another bout of bad luck in January of 2025 when it was announced that he re-ruptured his achilles, putting his 2025 season in jeopardy.
For a brief moment in time, Deshaun Watson was primed to be the face of the NFL. Now he has fallen in disgrace and is one of the most disliked players by NFL fans.
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