In December 2023, Joe Flacco walked into a Cleveland Browns locker room in crisis and dragged it to the playoffs, a stretch that earned him Comeback Player of the Year. Cleveland fans fell in love with the sight of competent quarterback play. Now Deshaun Watson is having his own revival, and the temptation to call it a fresh start is back. However, a Browns legend feels otherwise and stated his reasons for it.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
During a recent conversation on the Deebo & Joe Podcast, James Harrison touched upon the topic of potentially watching Deshaun Watson play for the Browns for a long time to Hanford Dixon, who, in return, didn’t seem quite interested.
“He’s got to take what we call a hometown discount,” Dixon said. “And a big hometown discount because I would hate to commit to him again, guaranteed money, and as a result, we know his history as far as injuries, and we got to take all that into consideration. I mean, because those two Achilles, man.
“This is the first year since we signed him that we’re seeing that guy that we thought we were going to get out of Houston when we signed him. He hasn’t played like that. So, I think a hometown discount is probably; I would give him $20 million, and he’s not going to take that, and that’s okay.”
Despite his praise for Watson’s 2026 performance, Dixon’s concern centers on the quarterback’s injury history and the risk of guaranteed money, not Watson’s ability. Hanford Dixon is a former NFL star who spent his entire nine-year career (1981-1989) with the Cleveland Browns. Being a former player of the Browns, Dixon keeps a keen eye on the team dynamics and often shares his thoughts as well.
When it comes to Deshaun Watson, the former Browns cornerback saw the franchise sign the quarterback in 2022 after a breakout 2020 season for the Houston Texans, where Watson threw for a league-high 4,823 passing yards in 16 regular season games.
However, up until the 2026 season, the Browns never saw a glimpse of that Watson, the one that they signed for a five-year, $230 million deal. As such, the veteran quarterback made only 19 appearances in his four seasons (2022-2025) with the franchise.
From an NFL suspension in 2022, a shoulder fracture in 2023, a torn Achilles Tendon in 2024, to an Achilles re-rupture in 2025, his stint with the Browns has been nothing short of a drama.
However, in the ongoing 2026 season, after winning the QB1 battle against Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson has been putting out impressive numbers, garnering praise from Hanford Dixon. Through seven games, the veteran signal caller has racked up 1,482 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and the Browns are 5-2, leading the AFC North.
Despite the resurgence, Dixon remains skeptical about one particular factor regarding Watson while discussing the quarterback’s future with the Browns. And that is the 31-year-old star’s injury history.
As things stand, Deshaun Watson is in the final year of his fully guaranteed contract. And with 2nd-year QB Shedeur Sanders as the backup, it will be interesting to see if the Browns would be keen to extend Watson’s contract.