Last season, the Cleveland Browns made the questionable move of trading for troubled and controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson in a deal with the Houston Texans.
As if trading Watson, who was dealing with a lot of off-field issues, wasn’t bad enough for the Browns, Cleveland didn’t hesitate to sign him to a huge deal, a fully guaranteed five-year deal worth $230 million.
After serving his suspension by the NFL, Watson stepped onto the field and played six games for the Browns and won three of those six games while looking mediocre on the field.
Starting in 2023, the pressure will fall on Watson as he needs to prove he’s worth that massive contract, but another quarterback may be dealing with more pressure on a new team, with Aaron Rodgers playing for the New York Jets.
Although Rodgers is on the downside of his career, he was traded to the biggest pro sports market in this country with a team built to win a Super Bowl right away with the right quarterback.
Rodgers’ former teammate James Jones believes Rodgers has more pressure in 2023 than Watson, via “Speak” on FS1.
.@89JonesNTAF: Aaron Rodgers has more pressure than Deshaun Watson.
“For Aaron Rodgers, they are talking about Super Bowl or bust there. You are the missing piece.” pic.twitter.com/1VyFOxwAZN
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) July 20, 2023
Fulfilling a massive, fully guaranteed $230 million contract is one thing, but hoping to win the Super Bowl in a highly competitive division and conference is another.
If Watson doesn’t meet expectations next season, he’ll have another season to prove himself in 2024 and so on.
As for Rodgers, it’s Super Bowl or bust, and it’s all up to his game to lead them to the team’s first title since Joe Namath won it all in 1969.
That’s pressure, and it remains to be seen if Rodgers can handle it while playing under the bright lights of the Big Apple.
NEXT:
Garrett Wilson already talks about the Jets’ victory in the Super Bowl
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24742194/350457055_218583294315389_8997521909640967870_n.jpg)