Rahul NareshBorn on September 14, 1995, Deshaun Watson is an American professional gridiron football player for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), whom he joined in 2022 from the Houston Texans.
The seasoned player is a quarterback and has won the Pro Bowl three times (2018, 2019 and 2020).
According to reports, Watson’s net worth is around US$60 million (as of February 2023), and he receives a salary of US$46 million a year. He also earns an estimated US$8 million from his sponsorship deals.
Endorsements
Beats by Dre
Audio products manufacturer Beats by Dre had tied Watson down to an endorsement deal, which was dropped in April 2021 as numerous complaints of sexual assault were recorded against Watson. Beats became the second big-name brand to drop the athlete after Nike suspended its endorsement deal with Watson a few days before.
Nike
The American sportswear and sorts equipment giant signed Watson in 2017 on a multi-year agreement. Nike suspended the deal in 2021 after Watson faced allegations of sexual assault from 22 women.
Up until then, Nike produced special cleats and other apparel for Watson, which he would not only sport but promote via social media.
DraftKings
Fantasy sports and sports betting brand DraftKings teamed up with Watson in April 2017 to shoot a promotional video, which involved Watson going undercover and asking fans their opinion about him.
Epic
Epic partnered with Watson to produce a book which would be a short read for children. The book is a 15–30 minute read on the company’s website for children between the ages of eight and ten.
Gillette
Procter & Gamble’s personal care brand Gillette signed Watson in 2020 to promote its razors range, which Watson did via Instagram.
Miller Lite
Beer manufacturer Miller Lite and Watson teamed up for Game Night in April 2020. Watson joined Miller Lite on its Twitch channel and played Jackbox games as part of their streaming partnership.
Oikos
Oikos Triple Zero, the official yoghurt of the NFL, starred some of the strongest players of the NFL in a commercial in April 2020. Watson was among the many stars that appeared in this Oikos commercial.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers partnered with Watson in 2020 to shoot a promotional video. The video, posted by Weatherford ISD, sees Watson partnering with the brand and congratulating that year’s graduating batch.
Samsung
South Korean technology company Samsung partnered with Watson in December 2020 to help out in the execution of his charity drive. Watson posted a video on his Instagram account, reviewing his favourite features of the then-latest Samsung product — the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G.
Verizon
Telecommunications company Verizon and Watson teamed up to shoot a promotional video for the company in 2019. Watson also posted the commercial on his Facebook account.
Zurvita
Health and wellness brand Zurvita teamed up with Watson to promote its sports drink in November 2020. Watson posted pictures of the product on his Instagram account as part of the deal.
Rolex
Luxury watch manufacturer Rolex sponsored Watson for quite some time.
Reliant Energy
Deshaun Watson acted as a brand ambassador for sports nutrition brand Reliant Energy from 2018 until 2021, when Reliant Energy suspended the deal after allegations of sexual assault against Watson came to the fore.
H-E-B
Supermarket chain H-E-B was also in a partnership with Deshaun Waston prior to 2021. After knowledge of Watson’s sexual harassment allegations became public, the brand decided to end the partnership.
EA Sports
Video game developer and producer EA Sports tied down Watson in 2021 to promote that year’s Madden NFL instalment, Madden NFL 22.
Ritz Crisps
Ritz is a company that manufactures crisps and snacks. It agreed in August 2019 a deal with Watson, who promoted the Ritz packaged crisps via social media.
Old Spice
Watson also promoted products of the popular personal care brand Old Spice in January 2019. He posted an image of him wearing an Old Spice T-shirt and posing next to the brand’s “Fresher” collection on his Instagram account.
Investments
- Deshaun Watson and Jalen Ramsey have collaborated with Rally Road, which allows people to own a share of luxury items such as cars, watches and other items. Watson has also posted videos of his collaboration with Rally Road, allowing people to own a share of his Lamborghini and Rolex.
- Watson owns a Lamborghini, which is apparently one of his favourite car brands. The car is worth approximately US$292,000.
- He also owns a Rolex watch, which is reportedly worth US$20,000.
- Watson also owns the house where he grew up in Gainesville. His mother still lives there.
Charity Work
- After hurricane “Harvey” struck the US in 2017, Watson reportedly donated US$27,000 to women and their families affected by the disaster.
- Watson has also established his very own charity organisation called the Deshaun Watson Foundation, which aims at providing healthcare, education and housing to the youth of struggling communities. The Foundation was established in 2019 and continues to give back to the community.
- During Watson’s association with Reliant Energy, he donated technology that would be of use to children in the local community. The tech was reportedly worth about US$175,000.
- In 2020, Watson also donated costumes for Halloween to the children of Pro Vision School, amounting to US$100,000.
