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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is heading into the final year of his contract.
The Cleveland Browns remain undecided on their starting quarterback for next season, but Deshaun Watson is expected to be firmly in the mix despite missing an entire year due to injury.
And if Watson can return to the Pro Bowl form he once showed, it could put Cleveland’s $230 million quarterback in a position to earn an extension and rewrite what has been dubbed one of the worst trades in NFL history.
Watson landed in Cleveland in 2022 via a blockbuster trade that cost the Browns a treasure trove of picks that included three first-round selections. His tenure in Cleveland has been a disappointment. Watson has appeared in just 19 games, posting a 9-10 record in those contests while passing for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
As it stands, Watson will compete with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel for the starting job. However, the Browns are still expected to explore every avenue to add another arm to the quarterback room this offseason.
But if Watson wins over new head coach Todd Monken and looks anything like the player he was earlier in his career, the conversation in Cleveland could change fast.
“What if Deshaun Watson surprises everyone, reverts to his Pro Bowl form and the Browns win 10 games? Could we be talking Deshaun Watson extension at that point?” cleveland.com’s Dan Labbe pondered with his insider co-host Mary Kay Cabot on The Orange and Brown Podcast.
Cabot responded, “Yes, they probably would be talking Deshaun Watson extension if he’s playing at a Pro Bowl level and wins 10 games for them. You don’t let a Pro-Bowl-caliber quarterback walk out the door if he’s playing at that level.”
Browns Starting QB ‘To Be Determined’
Sanders started the final seven games of the season for the Browns and appears to be the frontrunner to be QB1 next season. However, Monken left the door open on the quarterback situation during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.
“Well, I think like any position on the team, that’s still to be determined. Am I excited about Shedeur and excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely,” Monken said. “I can’t wait for them to get back and for us to get started.”
Sanders is a former fifth-round pick, and it would be a major win for the Browns if he proves he can thrive as their starting quarterback. But Cabot noted there may be at least one powerful voice rooting for Watson to reclaim the job: owner Jimmy Haslam, who has been dealing with the fallout from the franchise-altering trade for years.
“Who would love Deshaun Watson to go out and succeed more than Jimmy Haslam?” Cabot asked rhetorically. “Is there anybody on the face of the earth that would like to see that happen more than Jimmy Haslam so that he can stop being bashed incessantly for making what everybody calls the worst trade in the history of the NFL?”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Feels He Can ‘Dominate’
One thing Sanders is not lacking is confidence. And it was on full display during his appearance on the Up & Adams show ahead of the Pro Bowl.
“You can see it. It’s kind of like mastering how to get to that place all the time,” Sanders said. “You have flashes. That’s the most thing I appreciate about this year is that I proved to myself, I’m able to dominate the league. But I’m able to take completions, I’m able to put all of that together, and definitely in games, we have flashes, but I know I’m capable of doing that. Now, to do it on a consistent basis, that’s what the goal is. But for me in this past season, that’s what proved to myself. No matter what happened, no matter anything that transpired, you are able to go out there and compete.”
Sanders got the chance to meet with Monken after he was hired. He got a good vibe from his new head coach, who is replacing two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski.
“It’s truly great that he was able to coach Lamar and he was able to accomplish everything he was able to accomplish in his life and his career,” Sanders said. “I feel like we definitely have a connection just from talking to him, just seeing his vibe. He has a great vibe about him.”
J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote
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