The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers will face each other on Thursday night in a game that will leave the winner 3-1 and in first place in the AFC North. The Browns’ early-season success has largely come as a surprise, especially with veteran Deshaun Watson showing flashes of the player who starred for the Houston Texans earlier in his career.

Coming into the season, Watson was widely expected to play out the final year of his contract and see his NFL career come to an end, after never looking like the same player after being traded to Cleveland and all of the off-the-field drama attached to him in light of the sexual misconduct allegations that have followed him from Houston.

However, through three games this season, Watson looks like a player with several more years of football in front of him. Per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the veteran quarterback announced just how much longer he plans on playing before calling it a career, and the surprising person he has found inspiration from.

“I’ve known Aaron just passing throughout the years, playing against each other. When I was working with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on my shoulder, he was out there with his Achilles, I got to talk to him a little bit,” Watson said, via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

#Browns Deshaun Watson said “that’s the goal” to play as long as #Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, who’s 42. pic.twitter.com/vqBtC2XkC0

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 29, 2026

“It’s motivating, it’s inspiring to be able to see what he’s doing at the age he’s been doing it for so long. I was watching him as a young kid. So being able to now play against him is super dope. You can learn a lot from him. I want to play as long as I possibly can until football tell me I can’t.”

For Rodgers’ part, he has made it clear that no matter how the rest of the season shakes out, this one will be his final in the league. If Watson can keep performing well, he may be able to avoid this being his final season in the NFL as well.