Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said QB Deshaun Watson (Achilles/PUP) won’t be activated from the PUP list.

23 December 2025

This has been expected all along. It’s unknown how Watson factors into next year’s plan at quarterback for the Browns — CBS’ Jonathan Jones suggested he could compete for the job in training camp with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. But his anvil of a contract is untradeable and releasing him with a post-June 1 cap hit would not save the Browns a single dollar currently after they restructured it yet again in 2025 to keep the roster in some semblance of order. It’s possible they could restructure it again in 2026 and continue kicking the can down the road so they can put a functional offensive line on the field next year. Watson’s current 2026 cap hit is $80,716,514.