The Cleveland Browns are always looking for their next quarterback, and the rumor on the street has been that owner Jimmy Haslam is in hot pursuit of Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
Haslam, a booster for the University of Tennessee, has a great relationship with Peyton Manning, Arch’s uncle. The link between the Haslam family and the Manning family has been reported over the years. As the Browns continue to pick up the pieces from the Deshaun Watson disaster, and after punting on drafting a quarterback early in the 2025 NFL Draft, they have two first round picks this upcoming year to play around with, along with some not-so-stellar expectations this season.
However, Haslam and the Browns may just have to wait until the 2027 NFL Draft to land Manning, if that is still the direction the team wants to go. Archie Manning, long-time NFL quarterback and grandpa of Arch, has stated that his grandson will not enter the 2026 NFL Draft and will return to Texas for his senior season.
This is congruent with the way that both of his uncles handled their business at the college level, Peyton attending Tennessee for four years while Eli saw his tenure at Ole Miss all the way to the end.
If the Browns want to use one of their two first round picks on a quarterback this year, they’ll have to do it on one not named Arch. This could be Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, or others.
If Haslam is dead set on the Texas quarterback, then we may even see the Browns trade down from one of those first rounders, look to gather another in 2027, and then make a run at Manning.