The three-time Pro Bowler has passed for 16,756 yards and 118 touchdowns with 45 interceptions in 66 career games with the Browns and Texans since being taken by Houston in the first round of the 2017 draft.
This week, ESPN published a “2024 NFL Offseason 80,” listing the 80 important quarterbacks, free agents, coaches and wild cards who will shape the offseason and next 12 months in the league.
A trio of former Clemson stars appeared on the list (subscription required), including a couple of QBs in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence and the Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson.
Lawrence is now eligible for an extension, having played three seasons in the league. He battled through multiple injuries in 2023 but only missed one game (the first missed game of his NFL career) this past season, when he completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 4,016 yards and 21 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.
A Pro Bowler in 2022, Lawrence has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 11,770 yards and 58 touchdowns with 39 interceptions over 50 career starts in his young NFL career.
“Lawrence, the 2021 first overall pick, is eligible for an extension this offseason for the first time,” ESPN wrote. “Will he follow the trend of young QBs breaking the bank and resetting the market after their third season? With the way the Jaguars’ season ended — a massive collapse after starting 8-3 — he might be better off waiting until next offseason to sign his new deal. The Jaguars can pick up his fifth-year option for 2025 to keep him under contract for at least two more seasons.”
As for Watson, he is entering his third year with the Browns after being traded to Cleveland from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and then getting a new fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns — the record for the highest guarantee given to an NFL player.
In 2023, Watson underwent season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder after suffering the injury in Cleveland’s Week 10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Prior to the injury, he completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions across six games.
“Three years and $138 million in fully guaranteed salary remain on his contract, so Watson is not going anywhere,” ESPN wrote. “But he’ll have to show he’s worth it after the offense functioned better in five regular-season games with Joe Flacco as his replacement after Watson had a season-ending shoulder injury.”
Former Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins, meanwhile, was named by ESPN among the “interesting free agents.”
The 2020 second-round pick has played out his rookie contract with the Cincinnati Bengals and will hit free agency in March if the Bengals don’t sign him to an extension or franchise tag him in order to keep him around for the 2024-25 season.
Higgins dealt with injuries in 2023 and had a down year, catching only 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns. But he had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons the previous two years and has been highly productive for the most part in his NFL career, during which he has hauled in 257 receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns.
“Higgins is a free agent, but with teammate Ja’Marr Chase extension eligible for the first time, the Bengals have some decisions to make over the next few months,” ESPN wrote. “We can’t rule out a franchise tag for Higgins, who could command No. 1 WR money from another team if he hits the market. Higgins caught 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.”
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