Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson is a quarterback who plays for the NFL team Cleveland Browns. He was drafted to the Browns in 2022 and used to play for the Houston Texans till 2021. The young quarterback has had a rollercoaster of an NFL journey since he started playing for the Texans in 2017. Watson has been riddled by injuries and allegations of sexual misconduct has left his NFL career in limbo. The Houston Texans did not play Watson for the entirety of 2021 as he is still involved in several sexual misconduct lawsuits. Watson is closer to being clear of the allegations as he settled a majority of them in June 2022.

Deshaun Watson’s Early Life and Background

Watson was born on September 14, 1995, in Gainesville, Georgia. Watson broke many state records when he played football for Gainesville High School. Watson enrolled at Clemson University in 2012. He was pursuing a degree in communication from the college and led the Clemson team to a National Championship win in 2016. In 2015 he won the Davey O'Brien Award, which is awarded annually to the best college quarterback. He also won the award the following season, making him the second player to achieve this feat. In 2015, he was also named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year. He has also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was the first repeat winner of the Manning Award. He finished his college career with 10,168 passing yards and 90 touchdown passes.

Who Drafted Deshaun Watson?

Deshaun Watson was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 2017 NFL Draft. Watson was picked in the first round and he was the 12th overall pick of the Draft. Deshaun Watson was the third quarterback to be drafted in the 2017 NFL draft. The 2017 NFL Draft also included the likes of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, running back Alvin Kamara and strong safety Jamal Adams.

Deshaun Watson’s NFL Journey

Deshaun Watson signed a four-year deal with the Texans when he was drafted in 2017. He made his first appearance against the Jacksonville Jaguars and threw his first touchdown pass in the NFL. Watson got his first start for the Texans against the Cincinnati Bengals and led them to a 13-9 victory. His rookie season ended prematurely when he tore his ACL on November, 2. Watson returned from injury in fine form in 2018. 2019 saw Watson’s best performance in his professional career, as he finished the regular season with a career-high 4,165 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 551 rushing yards, and five rushing touchdowns. He was named to his first Pro Bowl, replacing the Super Bowl-bound Tom Brady on January 21, 2019. As for the 2020 season, Watson led the NFL in passing yards, making him the first player on a team with at least 12 losses, to lead the league in passing yards. Watson signed an extension with the Texans that kept him in contract till 2025. Watson was competing with Patrick Mahomes for the NFL all-time regular-season passer rating record. Watson finished his 2020 season with the most number of passing yards in NFL history (4823). His season was, by all major statistical measures, the best in franchise history, leading in passing touchdowns, passing yards and passer rating.

Deshaun Watson’s NFL career came to a standstill in 2021 when there were various allegations of sexual misconduct filed against him. Watson had also asked for a trade from the Texans prior to these charges being filed. The first lawsuit was filed by a massage therapist and later other women called out Watson for sexual misconduct. As of April 5, 2021, there were 22 lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson. The lawsuits are still pending. The Houston Texans did not play Deshaun Watson for a single match in the 2021 season.

Watson was drafted to the Cleveland Browns in March 2022 by the Texans. He was traded along with the Texan’s 2024 sixth-round pick in exchange for the Browns' first-round draft picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as the Browns' third-round pick in 2023 and fourth-round picks in 2022.

By 2022, Watson was facing a total of 24 sexual misconduct lawsuits. The Browns’ quarterback successfully settled 20 out of the 24 lawsuits in June 2022. The terms of the settlement were confidential and it looks like DeShaun Watson will be in the clear. However, the NFL might still go ahead and suspend DeShaun Watson as they are conducting their own investigation. The NFL takes its code of conduct seriously and it might see DeShaun Watson face a significant suspension in the 2022 NFL season.

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Deshaun Watson’s Teams

Houston Texans (2017-2021)

Watson was the 12th overall pick in 2017. The Houston Texans picked him in the first round of the Draft. Deshaun Watson hit the ground running for the Texans since he made his debut, and in his fourth week with the Texans, he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, then AFC Offensive Player of the Month. He has made it to 3 Pro-Bowls for his performance with the Texans. He helped the Texans win back-to-back divisional championships in 2018 and 2019.

Cleveland Browns (2022)

Watson became a Browns player on March 18, 2022, by signing the largest contract in NFL history. He signed a five-year contract worth $230 million which also assured him the most guaranteed money from an NFL contract.

Championships and Rings Won by Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson is yet to win any rings at the NFL. The Houston Texans are one of the four teams who have never made it to the Super Bowl, thus a Super Bowl ring eludes him. He has also not won any Conference Championships, and thus awaits his first ring.

Deshaun Watson Awards and Honors

Deshaun Watson NFL Records

• Highest career completion percentage: 67.8%
• Most passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie quarterback: 5 (tied with Ray Buivid, Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston and Daniel Jones)
• Most passing touchdowns in a calendar month by a rookie quarterback: 16
• Most passing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in one half: 4 (tied with Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston) (Week 5, 2017)
• the First player in NFL history to pass for 400+ yards, throw 4+ TD passes, and rush for 50+ yards in a single game. (Week 8, 2017)
• First player in NFL history with multiple 5 passing touchdown games within his first 2 seasons: 2
• First player in NFL history to have 4,000+ passing yards, 25+ passing touchdowns, 500+ rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns in a single season
• Fastest player in NFL history to have 6,500+ passing yards and 500+ rushing yards (26 games)
• Fastest player in NFL history to have 50 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns (27 games)
• First quarterback with back-to-back games with at least 375 passing yards and 35 rushing yards
• Most passing touchdowns by a rookie in a 7-game span in NFL history: 19
• Most passing touchdowns by a rookie in a 5-game span in NFL history: 18
• Longest streak of games with 3 or more passing touchdowns by a rookie in NFL history: 4
• Most games with at least 375 passing yards and 40 rushing yards in NFL history: 3 (tied with Steve Young)
• Most passing touchdowns for a quarterback through his first six career games: 15
• First rookie with two games of 300+ passing yards and 40+ rushing yards in a season
• First rookie to produce 5+ touchdowns in consecutive games
• Most completions with a perfect passer rating: 28
• Most attempts with a perfect passer rating: 33 (tied with Jared Goff)

Deshaun Watson Net Worth

Watson’s net worth is estimated to be around $24 million. His initial contract with the Texans was a four-year deal worth $13.84 million. In 2020 he signed a four-year extension worth $156 million which came with a $27 million signing bonus. Watson also had endorsement deals with Nike and Beats by Dr Dre. His endorsements were, however, cancelled by these companies after lawsuits of sexual misconduct against him. Watson signed the largest NFL contract in history with the Cleveland Browns, worth $230 million. The five-season fully guaranteed contract is slated to increase his net worth exponentially.

Read more about Deshaun Watson's net worth

Deshaun Watson Family

Deshaun Watson is close to his mother and three siblings. His father was absent since he was a child and does not keep in contact with him. Deshaun Watson is currently in a relationship with singer, model, and social media influencer Jilly Anais. The pair have been together since 2020. She stands by Deshaun Watson amidst his sexual assault lawsuits.

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