Deshaun Watson

Early life

Watson was born in Gainesville, Georgia, on September 14, 1995, to Deann Watson and Don Richardson. He attended Gainesville High School from the fall of 2010 and played for the school's Red Elephants football team. Gainesville head coach Bruce Miller had planned to start a rising junior at quarterback to execute his spread offense, but Watson won the starting spot, becoming Miller's first-ever freshman starting quarterback.

During his high-school career, Watson set numerous state records, including those for total yards (17,134), total touchdowns (218), career passing yards (13,077) and career passing touchdowns (155). He rushed for 4,057 yards and 63 touchdowns. Watson excelled in his junior year, winning a state championship and earning accolades such as Junior All-American, 2014 Player to Watch and 2014 Top 100 Recruit. During his sophomore and senior years, Watson led Gainesville to the state semifinals.

Watson received offers from numerous colleges before verbally committing to Clemson University on February 1, 2012. He was ranked as the top quarterback recruit for the 2014 class by ESPN 300.

College career

Freshman year

Watson enrolled at Clemson in January 2014. During his high-school career, Watson had worn #4, but at Clemson, that number had been retired after quarterback Steve Fuller graduated. However, Fuller allowed Watson to wear the number. Watson entered his true freshman season as the backup to starter Cole Stoudt, but still received extensive playing time. Through three games, he completed 29 of 41 passes for 479 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, outperforming Stoudt. Watson was named the Tigers' starter on September 21. In Watson's first career start against the North Carolina Tar Heels, he set a school record with six touchdown passes and threw for 435 yards en route to a 50–35 victory.

On October 11, 2014, Watson broke a bone in his right hand in the first quarter of a game against the Louisville Cardinals. As a result of the injury, he missed games against Boston College, Syracuse and Wake Forest. He returned for a game against Georgia Tech only to suffer an LCL strain, missing most of the game. He did not play against Georgia State the following week, but led Clemson to a victory over state rival South Carolina the following week. It was revealed that Watson had played the game with a torn ACL in his left knee. He underwent surgery the Friday before Clemson's bowl game against Oklahoma.

Sophomore year

In 2015, Watson led Clemson to an undefeated 12–0 regular season and a #1 ranking in the polls. After the regular season, the Tigers qualified for the ACC Championship Game, facing off against #10 North Carolina. Watson threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 45–37 win, Clemson's first ACC championship since 2011. Watson was also named the ACC Championship Game MVP.

The Tigers were selected to participate in the 2016 College Football Playoff as the #1 seed. They faced the #4 seed Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl, one of the two College Football Playoff semifinal games. Watson threw for 189 yards and a touchdown and ran for 145 yards and a touchdown as he led Clemson to a 37–17 victory, earning game MVP honors.

With the win, the Tigers advanced to the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship game against the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide, but Clemson lost 45–40. Watson threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns in the game and ran for 73 yards in the losing effort, though he surpassed the 4,000-yard passing mark. He set the record for most total yards in national championship game history, with 478 yards (405 passing / 73 rushing) against the nation's best defense. In addition to throwing for over 4,000 yards, he also rushed for over 1,000 yards to complete his true sophomore season. Watson was the first player to accomplish this feat in the history of college football.

For his accomplishments during the 2015 season, Watson was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the first time that a Clemson player had been invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation. He finished third in the balloting after Heisman winner Derrick Henry, an Alabama running back, and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. Watson's third-place finish was the highest in Clemson football history. He won the Davey O'Brien Award, which is awarded annually to the top college quarterback. He was also named the 2015 ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

Junior year

Watson started his junior season positively with 248 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a narrow 19–13 victory over the Auburn Tigers. On October 1, Watson threw for 306 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in a 42–36 victory over Louisville. He totaled 378 passing yards and two touchdowns against Florida State on October 29, rallying to a 37–34 win. Against Syracuse on November 5, he threw for 169 passing yards with two touchdowns but left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. On November 26, he passed for 347 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in a 56–7 victory over South Carolina.

In the fall of 2016, Watson became the first player since Jason White in 2003–2004 to win the Davey O'Brien Award in consecutive years. He was also named winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was the first repeat winner of the Manning Award. For the second consecutive year, Watson was named one of the five Heisman Trophy candidates, along with Michigan's Jabrill Peppers, Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook and Louisville's Lamar Jackson. He again came up short, as Louisville's Lamar Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy, finishing with nearly twice as many first-place votes as had Watson.

After defeating Ohio State 31–0 in the CFP semifinal in the Fiesta Bowl and receiving the offensive MVP award, Clemson defeated No. 1 Alabama 35–31 in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. Watson completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns against the nation's top-ranked defense, including the last-second game-winning pass to wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. He also rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown. The win marked Clemson's second national championship, ending a three-decade national-championship drought. Watson was named the game's offensive MVP.

On November 8, 2016, Watson, along with three other Clemson players, Wayne Gallman, Artavis Scott and Mike Williams, declared for the NFL draft. In December, Watson graduated with a degree in communications after three years at Clemson.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Watson was projected as a first-round pick by the majority of scouts and analysts. He was ranked as the top quarterback available in the draft by Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Focus and ESPN. He was ranked the second-best quarterback by NFLDraftScout.com.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans drafted Watson in the first round (12th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. The Texans had acquired the pick from the Cleveland Browns, trading their 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and their first round pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Houston had already traded quarterback Brock Osweiler to Cleveland for draft picks earlier that year as part of what was widely considered the NFL's first major "salary dump." Watson was the third quarterback taken in the draft behind Mitchell Trubisky, who went second overall to the Chicago Bears, and Patrick Mahomes, who went tenth overall to the Kansas City Chiefs.

On May 12, 2017, the Texans signed Watson to a four-year, $13.84 million contract featuring an $8.21 million signing bonus. Watson made his first regular-season appearance on September 10, 2017, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He entered the game after Tom Savage was benched at halftime and played for the remainder of the game. In the third quarter, he threw his first NFL touchdown, a four-yard pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He finished with 102 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Texans lost 29–7.

Watson made his first career start on September 14, his 22nd birthday, in an away game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He finished with 125 passing yards, 67 rushing yards and a 49-yard rushing touchdown as the Texans won 13–9. In Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 25 of 34 passes for 283 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception while also rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown as the Texans won 57–14. His five total scores tied the NFL rookie touchdown record. He also became the first rookie to pass for at least four touchdowns and rush for one touchdown in a game since Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton in 1961. His performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Watson followed up his Week 4 performance with another great outing against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the 42–34 loss, Watson finished 16-of-31 for 261 yards and five touchdown passes, tying an NFL rookie record for touchdown passes thrown in a single game. He also rushed for 31 yards. In Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, Watson posted his first game with over 400 passing yards. He finished with 402 passing yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions and 67 rushing yards, though the Texans lost 41–38. Watson threw 16 touchdowns in the month of October, setting the NFL record for touchdown passes by a rookie in a calendar month. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month and the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October.

Cleveland Browns

On March 18, 2022, Watson and the Texans' 2024 sixth-round draft pick were traded to the Browns 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 and 2024. As part of the trade, Watson signed a new, fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million deal with the Browns, making it the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history at the time of the signing. The fact the contract was fully guaranteed later led to a collusion scandal involving the league and the NFL Players Association that was made public in July 2025, and later led to the resignations of NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell and chief strategy officer J.C. Tretter a few days afterward.

As a result of his sexual harassment allegations, Watson was suspended for six regular season games to start the 2022 season by arbiter Sue Lewis Robinson. He was allowed to participate in preseason activities, including preseason games. Two days later the NFL appealed of the suspension, seeking a suspension for at least full season (17 regular season games), as well as seeking a fine and establishing a clause in which Watson would seek treatment for his conduct. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the NFL would seek a full-year suspension including the postseason for what Goodell described as "egregious" and "predatory behavior". The appeal was reviewed by former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey.

On August 18, 2022, after the NFL and the NFLPA reached a settlement, Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 regular season and was fined $5 million.

On November 28, 2022, Watson was reinstated from his suspension and was officially added to the 53-man roster. In Week 13, Watson started against his former team, the Texans. In his first game in 700 days, Watson posted the worst passer rating of his NFL career at 53.4, throwing for 131 yards and one interception in the 27–14 win. Watson finished the 2022 season with a 3–3 record as starting quarterback, with 1,102 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions as he closed out the last six games of the season. The Browns finished with a 7–10 record, and Watson's passer rating of 79.1 for the season was the lowest of his career.

Watson started the first three games of the 2023 season but missed the following three games due to a rotator cuff strain. He returned in Week 7 but left in the first quarter after reinjuring his shoulder. He returned again in Week 9. In Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, Watson suffered a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder during the first half, but he was able to finish the game. Three days later, on November 15, the Browns announced that Watson would undergo season-ending surgery to repair a broken bone in his throwing shoulder. Watson finished the season starting in six games, finishing with seven touchdowns and four interceptions and 1,115 passing yards. Watson underwent surgery on November 21, with the expectation to be fully recovered before the 2024 NFL season.

Career statistics

Career highlights

Awards and honors

NFL

3× Pro Bowl (2018–2020)

NFL passing yards leader (2020)

PFWA All-Rookie Team (2017)

Ranked No. 50 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018

Ranked No. 51 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019

Ranked No. 20 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020

Ranked No. 18 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021

College

CFP national champion (2016)

CFP National Championship Offensive MVP (2016)

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2016)

2× Davey O'Brien Award (2015, 2016)

2× Manning Award (2015, 2016)

Consensus All-American (2015)

Second-team All-American (2016)

2× ACC Athlete of the Year (2016, 2017)

ACC Player of the Year (2015)

ACC Offensive Player of the Year (2015)

First-team All-ACC (2015)

Second-team All-ACC (2016)

Records

Most passing touchdowns in a single game by a rookie quarterback: 5 (tied with Ray Buivid, Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston, Daniel Jones, and C. J. Stroud)

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)

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)

Longest streak of games with 3 or more passing touchdowns by a rookie in NFL history: 4

Most completions with a perfect passer rating: 28

Most attempts with a perfect passer rating: 33 (tied with Jared Goff)

Most consecutive games with a touchdown pass: 20

Highest passer rating in a season: 112.4

First rookie quarterback with 3+ touchdown passes in a game

First rookie quarterback to throw for 300+ yards

First quarterback to score touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) in his first two games

First quarterback to record 300+ passing yards and 40+ rushing yards in a single game (Week 3, 2017)

Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback: 17

Personal life

Watson is a Christian. In 2006, when Watson was 11, Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn donated a home to Watson's family through Dunn's charity Homes for the Holidays, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. In 2017, Watson donated his first NFL game check of approximately $27,000 to three NRG Stadium cafeteria employees affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Sexual assault allegations

Allegations and lawsuits

On March 16, 2021, a Houston massage therapist filed a civil lawsuit delivered by attorney Tony Buzbee against Watson, claiming that Watson had touched her with the tip of his erect penis while asking her for sex during a visit to her home for treatment in March 2020. Watson vehemently denied Buzbee's claims, stating that "I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect." According to the suit, the massage therapist immediately ended the session and cried after the incident. Two additional NFL players contacted the massage therapist several weeks later on Watson's recommendation. The suit also claims that Watson later reached out to the massage therapist and apologized for his actions.

The next day, another massage therapist represented by Buzbee claimed that Watson had met her at the Houstonian Hotel in August 2020 and completely undressed and refused to cover up, directing her to massage his anus and penis and making a movement that caused her to touch his penis. The therapist also claims that Watson had only paid half of the charges due for her services.

On March 18, a third civil lawsuit was filed against Watson, alleging that he had forced a massage therapist to perform oral sex on him before she blacked out in an office building in December 2020. The therapist claims that after Watson left, she was shaken and defecated on herself. Also, on March 18, the NFL announced that it would investigate the sexual assault allegations made against Watson.

On March 19, Buzbee claimed that nine more civil suits had been filed against Watson (for a total of 12) and that 22 women contacted his office regarding Watson's conduct while receiving massages. Buzbee requested that the Houston Police Department and the Harris County, Texas, district attorney investigate the situation and pursue criminal charges against Watson. One of the nine new civil suits alleges that Watson attempted to kiss a woman forcibly, and another suit alleges that he had attempted to assault the same woman on two separate occasions.

On March 22, a 14th lawsuit was filed by a woman who called Watson a "serial predator". The incident allegedly occurred in California, just the second of the 14 allegations to occur outside the Houston area. The traveling massage therapist alleged that when she arrived at the address that Watson had provided, he led her to a room and "locked the doors behind him". After Watson allegedly "forced Plaintiff's hand onto his penis" during the massage, he allegedly told her, "I will not have you sign an NDA, but don't ever talk about this." The plaintiff also alleges that Watson reached out on Instagram in December, "acting as if nothing had happened".

Aftermath

On April 7, 2021, Nike and Beats by Dre suspended endorsement deals with Watson. Reliant Energy and H-E-B stated that they did not plan on engaging with Watson in the future.

On March 11, 2022, a grand jury declined to indict Watson on criminal charges related to "harassment and sexual misconduct". On that date he still faced 22 civil lawsuits, many alleging sexual misconduct, and assault. As of August 1, 2022, all but one of the pending civil cases had been settled.

As a result of these accusations, the NFL announced on August 18, 2022, that Watson would be suspended for 11 games, pay a record $5 million fine, undergo evaluation by behavioral experts, and complete a treatment program. His fine and an additional $2 million will be donated to agencies that work to prevent sexual assault.