The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition has drawn plenty of attention, with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders competing for the starting role. While the team has kept the decision open publicly, Watson’s contract and experience have made him the early favorite.
Now, one NFL reporter believes the competition was never as even as it appeared.
Jason La Canfora Says Deshaun Watson Had the Edge over Shedeur Sanders
NFL reporter Jason La Canfora believes Watson was always positioned to win Cleveland’s QB1 job, provided he remained healthy and functional. The team ranked last in PFN NFL Offense Impact for the 2025 season, so this year’s improvement is going to be their priority.
Speaking to “Casino Guru News,” La Canfora pointed to Watson’s massive contract and the Browns’ investment in him as major reasons Sanders faced an uphill battle.
“The Browns still haven’t declared a starter, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Deshaun Watson was always going to be their starting quarterback, unless he got hurt. There’s about 240 million reasons why,” La Canfora said.
Watson is entering the final year of his fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract. So, Cleveland owes him $46 million in guaranteed money.
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This financial commitment stands in stark contrast to Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, who are on inexpensive rookie contracts. La Canfora believes that the difference made Watson the logical favorite for first-year coach Todd Monken, even before the quarterbacks took the field.
“Watson’s in the final year of his fully guaranteed contract, one of the more controversial in NFL history, with an ownership group that gave up quite a bit in terms of draft capital, and now has paid him, again, the final $45 million fully guaranteed in that deal,” La Canfora said.
The preseason also has not given Sanders the kind of advantage he needed. Watson completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards against the Chicago Bears and finished with a 98.2 passer rating. Sanders went 6 of 11 for 79 yards, threw an interception, and posted a 39.6 rating.
La Canfora believes Sanders needed to clearly outperform Watson to overcome the financial circumstances surrounding the position.
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Instead, the veteran has remained firmly in the conversation while Sanders has struggled to create separation.
“Coming Watson’s way this year while the other quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, make basically veteran minimum money on rookie contracts, the pendulum was always going to go in one direction here for rookie head coach Todd Monken,” La Canfora added.
🚨 “Deshaun Watson was always going to be their starting quarterback.”
In our exclusive interview with @JasonLaCanfora, he explained why Watson’s fully guaranteed deal made him the clear choice for Todd Monken over Shedeur Sanders! 🏈
Is Watson the right QB to lead the @Browns?… pic.twitter.com/p37Vg3zdyu
— Casino Guru News (@CasinoGuruNews) August 19, 2026
He later doubled down on X, writing, “The NFL has no real QB competitons this summer. Sorry. Not even in Cleveland. Just follow the money there, the owner surely is.”
Monken has continued evaluating both quarterbacks, including a planned start for Sanders against the Buffalo Bills and equal first-team reps during joint practices.
