"He simply has to surrender the money he made while on paid leave" - Mike Florio suggests NFL and Deshaun Watson should work together to consider 2021 season as suspension for QB

Deshaun Watson could face a significant suspension and fine ahead of the 2022-23 NFL season. But Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has an alternative that could see the Cleveland Browns quarterback start come September.

According to Florio, Watson should negotiate with the NFL to allow him to play this coming season and treat the 2021-22 campaign that he missed with the Houston Texans like a retroactive suspension. Florio cited Section 5 of Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement:

“Players who are placed by the Commissioner on the Exempt list prior to the determination of discipline and any appeal therefrom under the Personal Conduct Policy will be paid while on the Commissioner Exempt list and credited for the regular and postseason games missed against any suspension ultimately imposed.

"Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, if such a suspension is ultimately imposed, the player must promptly return and shall have no further right to any salary for the games for which he was paid while on the Commissioner Exempt list that were credited to the suspension (i.e., for a number of games no greater than the length of the suspension).”

Florio then offered an avenue the two sides should pursue.

"Technically, Watson wasn’t on paid leave in 2021. The league never had to decide whether to invoke the Commissioner Exempt list, because he was on de facto paid leave; he didn’t want to play for the Texans, and the Texans didn’t want him playing. He received $10 million from the Texans to not play."

Florio went on to elaborate on the idea he had:

"Now for the idea. The NFL and the NFL Players Association, acting on Watson’s behalf, could agree that 2021 will be treated as a suspension, with Watson losing the $10 million he was paid. Also, he’ll miss eight games to start the 2022 season."

The NFL wants Deshaun Watson suspended for a year

Once the Deshaun Watson hearing concludes, the NFL and the NFL Players Association's jointly appointed disciplinary officer, Sue L. Robinson, has indefinite time to devise a proper punishment for the Browns signal-caller.

The league is expected to hand out a suspension due to the PR nightmare Deshaun Watson has caused and will continue to cause if he suits up in Week 1. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, the league is seeking a suspension of at least a year.