_(cropped).jpg) Watson with the Browns in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 – Cleveland Browns | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | September 14, 1995 Gainesville, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Gainesville (Gainesville, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | Clemson (2014–2016) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2017 / round: 1 / pick: 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national championship in 2016. Watson was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.
After having a productive rookie season cut short by injury, Watson guided the Texans to consecutive division titles in 2018 and 2019 and led the league in passing yards in 2020. He also received Pro Bowl honors in each of his three seasons as Houston's primary starter. As of January 2024, he is ninth in career completion percentage (minimum 1,500 attempts) and is third in all-time career passer rating.[1][2]
In 2021, Watson was sued by more than two dozen female massage therapists for sexual harassment and sexual assault.[3][4] Watson has denied any wrongdoing while settling 20 claims of sexual misconduct.[5] Disagreements with the Texans' front office, and multiple sexual-misconduct lawsuits, kept Watson out for the entire 2021 season and eventually led to a trade to the Browns in 2022. With Cleveland, Watson signed a five-year contract worth $230 million, one of the largest contracts in NFL history.[6][7]
- ^ "NFL Pass Completion % Career Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "NFL Passer Rating Career Leaders". Football Reference. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ Shpigel, Ben (July 15, 2022). "What to Know About the Allegations Against Deshaun Watson". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ Vrentas, Jenny; Belson, Ken (August 1, 2022). "Deshaun Watson Suspended Six N.F.L. Games for Sexual Misconduct". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Darreonna (June 22, 2022). "Deshaun Watson Settles 20 Of 24 Suits Alleging Sexual Misconduct". Forbes. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ Bielik, Tim (March 22, 2022). "Where Deshaun Watson ranks among the 25 most expensive contracts in the NFL". Cleveland.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "Deshaun Watson's deal is much better than Kyler Murray's". NBC Sports. July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.