Early in Monday night’s game, after quarterback Jameis Winston had thrown his first touchdown pass and had not yet thrown any of his three interceptions, I posted this on Twitter: “The Browns are insane if they don’t re-sign Jameis and make him the starter next year over Deshaun Watson.”
Even after his final interception of the night, I stand by that.
The Browns have a mess on their hands. They owe Watson $46 million in 2025 and another $46 million in 2026. Every penny is guaranteed.
And the cap numbers are crippling: $72.9 million in 2025; $72.9 million in 2026; $26.9 million in 2027.
Winston has a 2-3 record as the starter in 2024. Watson was 1-6.
What if Winston got the benefit of being the wire-to-wire QB1, from the start of the offseason program through the end of the regular season (or the postseason)? How good could he be? How good could the Browns be?
Winston has thrown 218 passes in five starts. That’s an average of 43.6 attempts per game. Last night, he threw the ball 58 times. And, again, he didn’t get the benefit of proper preparation.
It’s not just about winning. The Browns are fun, thanks to Winston. They continue to play hard, even though the season is lost. That’s because of Winston.
He’s a great leader. Players respond to him. Football fans who aren’t Browns fans respond to him.
The interceptions are a bonus, in a strange sort of way. There won’t be as much of a land rush for his services in free agency. The Browns should be able to get him for an affordable contract, especially with so much money tied to Watson.
Of course, it doesn’t matter if the Browns won’t do it. They made a massive mistake with the Watson trade and contract. They still refuse to admit it. There’s no reason to think they’ll finally ‘fess up to it next year — especially since they don’t have to worry about the fans boycotting.
Which they should do. But why would they deprive themselves of something they love? Bad football is like bad pizza. It’s better than having no pizza at all.
Browns fans want their pizza. And their football.
They also want someone other than Watson playing quarterback. Whether they get that before 2027 remains to be seen. But it should be Jameis Winston in 2025.
