Deshaun Watson, Quinshon Judkins fined for smoking gesture

Nobody watching at home caught it. The league office did, and the fines landed Saturday.

Tom Pelissero

@TomPelissero

The NFL fined Browns QB Deshaun Watson $14,926 and RB Quinshon Judkins $14,397 for unsportsmanlike conduct (illegal celebrations and vulgar acts). Nothing was obvious on the TV broadcast, but source said it was a "smoking" gesture after Judkins' TD last week.

The touchdown came in the Browns' Week 4 win over the Steelers. Midway through the 2nd quarter, Watson hit Judkins for a 7-yard gain that set up 1st-and-goal at the 2, and 2 plays later Judkins punched it in to finish a 4-play, 74-yard drive. At some point in the celebration the 2 of them reportedly mimed smoking, the cameras never caught it, and the league tagged both of them for illegal celebrations and vulgar acts. Close to $30,000 combined for a bit that never even made the broadcast. Brutal.

It's not Watson's first celebration fine either. In 2023 the league docked him $13,659 for a gun-themed touchdown celebration in a Monday night loss to Pittsburgh, so the Steelers game seems to bring out his bad celebration ideas. This one still costs him more than that one did.

The fine itself is pocket change next to the real Watson story in Cleveland, which is his contract. The fully guaranteed 5-year, $230 million deal is in its final season, and a December 2024 restructure added a poison pill: a $200 million base salary in 2029 that becomes fully guaranteed if he's still on the roster on the 3rd day of the 2027 league year. Translation: the Browns basically have to cut him by March 13, 2027, and the dead money would follow them for 2 more years after that.

That was the plan anyway. Then the Browns named Watson their starter in August, and now he's actually winning games. That makes the question of what happens next a lot more interesting, and the Browns beat writer who's covered this team the longest says nothing is off the table.

Mary Kay Cabot doesn't spell out the options in that post, but the outlines aren't hard to see. Let the deal run out and walk away, try to keep him on something far cheaper after cutting him, or something in between. Her same notes also have Shedeur Sanders' moment at the end of the Steelers game on the list, which tells you the QB room is still the main story in Berea even with the team winning.

For now, the takeaway is simple. Watson and Judkins are clicking enough to get fined together, and nobody would've known if the league hadn't sent the bill. As long as the touchdowns keep coming, Cleveland will live with a few $14K celebrations. Whether the Watson era gets another chapter after March is the bigger bill, and the Browns are a long way from deciding who pays it.