The Cleveland Browns are witness to yet another quarterback battle. After the disastrous situation under center last season, the hope was that Shedeur Sanders would take over the responsibilities for this year at the very least.
But under new head coach Todd Monken, Sanders finds himself embroiled in another battle, this time with Deshaun Watson. Unfortunately, the latter still believes that he could be the long-term answer for the franchise, much to the chagrin of the fan base.
Deshaun Watson Hasn’t Enamored Himself to the Browns
Brought in via trade from the Houston Texans, the Browns gave up three consecutive first-round picks from 2022 to 2024, alongside a third-round pick in 2023, and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024, to bring Watson to town.
The blockbuster trade also came with a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal, which was the single biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history at the time. Unfortunately, his first four seasons with the franchise have been a complete disaster.
Playing in just 19 total games, he has thrown for less than 3,500 yards while recording 19 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. But after missing the entire 2025 campaign, he’s gotten another chance to prove his mettle.
As a quarterback battle rages on in training camp, though, Watson seems to be angling for a longer future in Cleveland. Speaking to reporters, he made it clear that he was open to signing a new contract after this season, professing his love for the city and the team.
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Most Browns fans, though, could not think of a worse idea. As one fan sarcastically pointed out, “I can give you 250 million reasons on why we don’t like you,” others were in a similar boat with regards to Watson.
Ari Wasserman of On3 believes the contract that was an albatross around Cleveland’s neck won’t be forgotten so easily. He added, “Dude tanked an entire professional franchise with his current contract, but sure, let’s be open about the next one.”
Anthony Reinhard added another joke about his contract and how much of an overpay it eventually turned out to be, claiming, “Yeah, I get it. If my job overpaid me by 240 million dollars, I’d definitely be open to negotiating another contract.”
Even analysts like Warren Sharp jumped on the train, believing another deal for Watson might be outright delusional. He added, “Thinking Cleveland would give another cent after getting literally nothing from $230,000,000 is pure narcissism.”
Sean Fitzgerald went a step further than the rest and wanted even more radical changes to the team. He wrote, “Tell a certain someone higher up in HSG to get off their high horse and leave this city. But only after they cut him, first.”
It remains to be seen if the Browns actually end up accepting this idea. But after collecting multiple first-round picks in next year’s draft, the expectation has to be that the franchise will try to find a long-term answer at the quarterback position in the incoming class.
Early projections have the 2027 draft class as a loaded one when it comes to the QB position. When all is said and done this season, Cleveland could try to finally fix their quarterback woes by finding the right guy, instead of giving Watson another multi-year contract.
