Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has decided that he wants to play for the Cleveland Browns, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Browns and Texans are still finalizing the trade compensation for Watson, but it is expected to include three first-round picks, a third-round pick and potentially a fifth-round pick, league sources told ESPN.
The Browns are set to give Watson a new five-year, $230 million contract, sources told Schefter. He would receive $184 million over the first four years of his new contract — a $48 million raise over what he was scheduled to make under his current contract.
The full $230 million is guaranteed, sources said, setting a record for highest guarantee given to an NFL player.
Watson has informed the Texans that he is willing to waive his no-trade clause to be dealt to Cleveland, sources said. The quarterback appeared to confirm the move to Cleveland with an Instagram post showing Watson in a Browns uniform.
A Watson move to the Browns would also open up the chance for quarterback Baker Mayfield to find a new team. Mayfield had requested a trade out of Cleveland, he told Schefter earlier this week, but a source had previously told ESPN’s Jake Trotter that the Browns would not accommodate that request.
The Browns — as well as the Carolina Panthers — had believed they were out of the running to acquire Watson, who had also been considering joining the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Browns officials met with Watson on Tuesday in Houston.
Watson did not play last season after an offseason request to be traded and the emergence of 22 lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. But a Texas grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges last Friday, signaling the end of criminal proceedings related to him in Harris County and kick-starting trade talks between the Texans and interested teams.
Before meeting with the Browns on Tuesday, Watson answered questions on two of the 22 lawsuits filed against him during ongoing depositions, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Tony Buzbee, told KHOU 11. Watson had invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when sitting for two sessions of depositions that began Friday.
“I’m just going to keep fighting to rebuild my name and rebuild my appearance in the community,” Watson said Friday after the grand jury decision, speaking to reporters for the first time in over a year.