CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns are facing an uncomfortable reality: the $230 million fully guaranteed contract they gave Deshaun Watson might go down as the worst trade in NFL history. But new head coach Todd Monken could represent their last, best hope at salvaging something from the wreckage of that historic investment.

The desperation behind the Browns’ continued Watson experiment was laid bare on the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast, where Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot revealed the organizational mindset.

“They don’t want to be the laughingstock of the NFL over this trade,” Cabot explained. “It’s already gone down in history as the worst trade in the history of the NFL.”

This existential organizational fear helps explain why Watson — despite his poor performance, multiple injuries and prolonged absence — remains firmly in the conversation for the starting quarterback position. The team simply can’t afford to completely abandon such a massive investment.

Enter Todd Monken, whose confident, borderline cocky demeanor during his introductory press conference might be exactly what the situation demands. As host Dan Labbe noted, “Todd Monken thinks very highly of Todd Monken,” a trait that could be crucial when tackling the Watson rehabilitation project.

“Who could fix Deshaun Watson? Todd Monken can fix Deshaun Watson,” Labbe suggested, mimicking the kind of self-assurance the new head coach exudes.

What makes this potential partnership particularly intriguing is that Monken has already witnessed Watson’s “it factor” firsthand while coaching against him. Cabot revealed this critical detail: “Todd Monken was on the opposite sideline when Deshaun Watson came out of that locker room on a bum ankle and a fractured shoulder and went 14-for-14 in the second half of that game and beat the Baltimore Ravens. When you want to talk about ‘it factor,’ that’s what he’s talking about. He mentioned ‘it factor’ today. That is ‘it factor.’”

That glimpse of brilliance could explain why Monken acknowledged being “intrigued” by what they might get from Watson — a telling admission that suggests he sees untapped potential.

Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock pointed to another practical reality driving Watson’s continued presence: his contract complicates the team’s ability to pursue alternatives. “This isn’t a strong quarterback class, that, look, we know even free agency, like his contract and how much cap it’s eating, like, who knows if they would be able to afford a guy like a Malik Willis now.”

The elephant in the room remains Watson’s dual Achilles surgeries and shoulder injury, which have significantly diminished the mobility that once made him a three-time Pro Bowler. Yet Monken’s success with mobile quarterbacks — most recently transforming Lamar Jackson into “more of an elite passer” — provides a blueprint for what might be possible.

“He may have just worked himself into a very unlikely chance here,” Bastock concluded.

For the Browns and their fans, the Monken-Watson partnership represents a high-risk, potentially high-reward final chapter in what has thus far been an organizational nightmare. The question remains: can Monken’s confidence and quarterback expertise overcome the physical and mental hurdles that have derailed Watson’s once-promising career?

Here’s the latest podcast:

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