He may be in the midst of a $230 million fully guaranteed contract, but it’s not a stretch to say that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson may be fighting for his job in 2024.

Watson’s tenure with the Cleveland Browns has been underwhelming up to this point. Though he’s won eight of 12 starts, Watson has a mediocre 59.8 completion percentage for 2,217 yards and just 14 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

Making matters worse for Watson is the fact that 38-year-old Joe Flacco looked miles better as the Browns’ temporary starter last season, winning Comeback Player of the Year honors after leading the team to an 11-6 finish and a playoff berth.

Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire recently published an early 2025 two-round NFL mock draft. With the No. 16 pick, Popejoy projects the Cleveland Browns to pick Watson’s replacement in Georgia Bulldogs signal-caller Carson Beck.

Along with Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Beck is widely regarded as one of the “big three” quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. In his first season as Georgia’s starting QB, Beck completed 72.4 percent of pass attempts for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions.

Pressure Is On Deshaun Watson To Perform For Cleveland Browns

Based on the structure of his contract, the earliest the Cleveland Browns can get out of Watson’s contract is 2026. But if he has another sluggish performance in 2024, the Browns can simply bench him in 2025 before moving on in 2026.

The 2025 NFL Draft would give the Browns the perfect opportunity to draft Watson’s replacement, so the pressure is definitely on the 2017 first-round pick to regain his star-like form this year.

Cleveland made the postseason in 2023 with five (!) different starting quarterbacks. If Watson continues to struggle with consistency, the Browns will have an easy call to find a successor next offseason.