The Browns’ 5-2 start has changed the mood in Cleveland, but it hasn’t erased the biggest question hanging over the franchise: who is going to be under center next season?
That decision could start with Deshaun Watson. Cleveland came into the year with no plan to hand him a new contract after this season, but a winning stretch always changes the conversation.
If Watson keeps playing well over the next ten games, the Browns could at least consider bringing him back. Spotrac listed his market value at $20 million over two years, or $10 million per season, which would make him a possible bridge option if Cleveland wants a veteran to hold the job while a rookie develops.
The Browns also still have Shedeur Sanders on the roster, and there’s a path where he gets another chance to grow into the role. Cleveland drafted Sanders in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he started seven games last season.
He wasn’t ready to be the starter as a rookie, but that doesn’t mean the team has closed the door on him. Head coach Todd Monken could use this season to get Sanders ready for 2027, especially after Sanders spent the offseason in a quarterback competition with Watson.
If Watson had struggled badly in the Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was a chance Cleveland would have turned to Sanders then.
If the Browns decide to go outside the building, there are several veteran names that fit the idea of a short-term starter who can buy time for a rookie. Mac Jones stands out as one possibility.
The San Francisco 49ers didn’t trade him this offseason even after he played well as Brock Purdy’s backup last season. Jones appeared in 11 games, started eight, and went 5-3 while throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He’s set to hit free agency this offseason, and he could be looking for a place to start. His path could resemble Sam Darnold’s, with a one-year stop leading to a bigger payday later.
Darnold did that with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, then landed a three-year, $100.5 million deal with the Seahawks in March 2025 and won the Super Bowl 11 months later.
Davis Mills is another free-agent option. He has spent the last five seasons with the Houston Texans and is set to enter the market after appearing in 44 games and starting 29.
His record there was eight wins, 19 losses and one tie. With C.J.
Stroud expected to sign a long-term extension soon, Mills should be looking elsewhere, and Cleveland could be in the mix.
Stetson Bennett also has a connection that makes him worth mentioning. He and Monken were together at Georgia from 2020 to 2022, when Monken was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator and Bennett started in 2021 and 2022, helping Georgia win back-to-back national titles.
Bennett has spent the last four seasons with the Rams and will be a free agent this offseason. He has appeared in only two games and thrown two passes for 13 yards, but he could be a stopgap if the Browns want someone to hold the seat until a rookie is ready.
There’s also a much bigger swing: Justin Herbert. The Chargers are 0-6 and could be headed toward a full rebuild, especially if they identify a quarterback they like at the top of next year’s draft.
In that scenario, Herbert could be moved to help replenish draft capital. Cleveland has already taken a massive quarterback swing before, trading three first-round picks for Watson, though that move backfired.
Herbert would likely cost less than that, with the source projecting two first-round picks and a little more since he turns 29 in March.
Two more names sit on the list as longer-shot possibilities. Cam Ward was almost available to Cleveland in the 2025 NFL Draft if the Browns had lost one more game and ended up with the No. 1 pick instead of No.
- The Titans took Ward with the top selection, and his first two seasons have been rough: 24 starts, 4,348 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and only four wins.
Tennessee fired head coach Brian Callahan six weeks into last season, then showed how little it believes in Ward by trading Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears on Thursday for two first-round picks. A fresh start could help Ward, and his failed-first-round status would keep the price down.
Bryce Young is the last name in the mix, though the odds are slim. The Panthers are 3-4, and there is a very low chance - about 1% - that they move on from him this offseason.
If Carolina keeps sliding and ends up in position to take a quarterback early in the first round, Young could become available. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal, but the Panthers have already picked up his fifth-year option for 2027.
If they decide not to extend him long term, he could be traded, much like Baker Mayfield was by the Browns in 2022 when Cleveland chose not to pay him as he approached his fifth-year option and instead traded for Watson.
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