Browns' NFL Draft, Free Agency QB Options After Deshaun Watson's 2nd Achilles Injury

The Cleveland Browns will seemingly be going in a different direction under center in 2025.

Deshaun Watson could miss the entirety of the 2025 season after suffering two Achilles ruptures within three months, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Friday.

The injury calls into question Watson's future with the Browns despite the two years remaining on his five-year, $230 million deal.

The Browns had restructured Watson's contract in December as part of a plan to keep him on the roster next season, according to Rapoport.

As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi reported on Jan. 2, the belief around the NFL was the Browns would "keep Watson for one more year and foster competition with another veteran and/or draft pick" to potentially have him win back his job.

For now, it appears his status for 2025 is questionable at best. Here's a look at some potential Browns options as they look ahead to the draft and free agency.

Thanks in part to a Week 18 win by the New England Patriots, the Browns hold the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

That marks the highest selection of general manager Andrew Berry's six-season tenure. He last drafted in the first round in 2021, when he used the No. 26 pick to select cornerback Greg Newsome II.

Will Berry attempt to trade up, down, or use the No. 2 pick to select the best quarterback remaining on the board?

The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick, and could be targeting a quarterback given Will Levis' midseason benching in his second year as the starter.

The 2025 draft has relatively few top-ranked quarterbacks compared to last spring, and the B/R NFL Scouting Department's latest mock draft projects only Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward going in the first round.

That means top-two picks will be at a premium for teams in need of a quarterback, such as the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders. The Browns could take advantage of that by trading down within the top ten and grabbing extra draft assets in return.

The Browns currently have 11 picks, including the No. 2 pick and the first selection in the second round at No. 33. That early Day 2 pick could allow Cleveland to grab a second-tier quarterback like Alabama's Jalen Milroe or Georgia's Carson Beck should they decide to trade down from No. 2.

The Browns could re-sign Jameis Winston, who started seven games following Watson's injury last season.

Cleveland could also turn to the open market, which Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are both slated to hit this winter.

Fields, who started six games and earned a 4-2 record in 2024 before he was benched in favor of Wilson, turns 26 in March. His age and his ability to scramble could encourage the Browns to take a chance on him with a one-year deal for 2025.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold could be the biggest name to hit the quarterback market this winter, but Minnesota could decide to franchise tag him or sign him to a long-term extension. How far the Vikings go in the playoffs could influence that decision.

Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers represent potential veteran options hitting the open market, while Kirk Cousins is theoretically a candidate with the caveat that he has dealt with Achilles woes of his own in recent years.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Thursday the team was "comfortable" keeping Cousins as a backup in 2025, although ESPN's Adam Schefter has previously reported he would be cut this spring.

Because Cousins would still be paid by the Falcons if cut, he could be an affordable option for next season as the Browns look to manage the fallout of Watson's contract.

The New Orleans Saints could also be considering cutting Carr, who has a potential out in his contract after the 2024 season. Rodgers, meanwhile, is signed for one more season with the New York Jets, but Jets owner Woody Johnson has expressed uncertainty he will be back with the team in 2025.

Cousins, Carr and Rodgers may be past their respective career peaks as quarterbacks, but they could be affordable options under center if the Browns decide to take a bet on a veteran signal caller.