“Business is business”: Deshaun Watson gets candid about CJ Stroud after rookie QB replaced $230,000,000 star on Texans
Deshaun Watson spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Houston Texans where he was a three-time Pro Bowler. His time with the team ended when he was traded to the Browns in a blockbuster deal and later given a fully guaranteed $230 million deal.
The Browns faced the Texans in the Wild Card round of this season's playoffs in which Houston picked up the win. It was Watson's first encounter with rookie CJ Stroud who replaced him as Houston's franchise QB. He spoke with Cam Newton on the "QB Unplugged" podcast on Lockerverse about Stroud and was honest about how he felt:
“Nah, nah, I ain’t even that type of dude to sit there and just have any time of hate. Because I’ve been there. I won a Wild Card game there. It didn’t go our way. Business is business. We parted ways.
"From Day 1, I’ve always been like ‘Take over H-Town, it’s your city now. Anything you need you got it.’ I’ve always been that big bro in the distance.”
Stroud put on a stellar performance in his playoff debut against the Cleveland Browns. The rookie threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns in the 45-14 win to advance to the Divisional Round. The second overall pick in last year's NFL Draft tied the NFL record for the most passing touchdowns by a rookie in a playoff game.
Additionally, the victory gave CJ Stroud the distinction of being the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game in NFL history. The AP Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner finished the regular season with the third-most passing yards in a rookie season with 4,108 yards.
By comparison, Deshaun Watson played in seven games while starting six of them in his rookie season with the Houston Texans. He finished third in the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Deshaun Watson injury update: Latest on Browns QB in 2024
In Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans, Watson suffered a rotator cuff injury in his throwing arm, missing a couple of starts. He returned following Cleveland's bye in Week 6 to start against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. Watson reinjured his throwing shoulder in that game but returned to play in Week 9.
He appeared in two more games for the Browns before a diagnosis of a fracture in the right arm. Last November, Deshaun Watson was shut down for the rest of the 2023 NFL season. The $230 million-dollar quarterback is expected to be back under center for the 2024 season.