![]() Watson with the Browns in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
No. 4 – Cleveland Browns | |||||||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
Born: | Gainesville, Georgia, U.S. | September 14, 1995||||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||
Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||
High school: | Gainesville | ||||||||||||||||
College: | Clemson (2014–2016) | ||||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12 | ||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
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, where he signed a five-year contract worth $230 million, one of the largest contracts in NFL history.[6][7]