The most overpaid player on the Cleveland Browns heading into next season is very, very obvious.
In a story titled "Every NFL Team's Most Overpaid Player Following Peak 2026 Free Agency," Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report didn't have trouble when it came to the Cleveland Browns.
To no one's surprise, QB Deshaun Watson is the Browns' most overpaid player heading into the 2026 season, per Gagnon.
"The 12th-highest-paid player in football has thrown 19 touchdown passes since the end of the 2020 season. Enough said. Since this is such an obvious pick, we'll also mention declining cornerback Denzel Ward and his ridiculous $30.9 million 2026 cap hit."
It's worth mentioning that the Browns did restructure Watson's contract at the start of this month. Cleveland freed up close to $36 million in cap space and made the team cap compliant.
Watson, who did not play in 2025 as he rehabbed an Achilles tear from the 2024 season, was set to have an $80.7 million cap hit in 2026, the largest in the NFL.
Watson, 30, is owed a fully guaranteed $46 million salary in 2026. He originally signed a five-year deal worth a fully guaranteed $230 million deal upon being traded to Cleveland before the 2022 season.
Suspension and injuries have limited Watson to 19 games since he arrived in Cleveland. Since making his Browns debut, Watson has posted a 33.1 Total QBR, which would be the lowest among qualified passers.
A Clemson product, Watson has 3,365 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns with Cleveland. He's thrown 12 interceptions.
A former star with the Houston Texans, Watson will compete with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel for the Browns' starting spot next season.
"Anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skill set at an elite level," first-year Browns coach Todd Monken said of Watson. "I think you're always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again, and I think that's how you should look at every player."
Watson has 17,904 passing yards and 123 passing touchdowns in the NFL with the Texans and Browns. He was the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft.
Cleveland went 5-12 last season. Monken replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was fired and joined the Atlanta Falcons as their new HC.
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