Deshaun Watson’s Future in Cleveland: A Comeback in the Making or a Final Chapter?
There was a time-not too long ago-when it looked like Deshaun Watson had taken his last snap in a Browns uniform. The air around the organization was thick with regret.
Team owner Jimmy Haslam openly acknowledged that the blockbuster trade for Watson hadn’t panned out the way they’d hoped, and the fan base? Let’s just say the patience was wearing thin.
Yet here we are in 2026, and Watson is still in Cleveland. More importantly, he’s still in the mix.
He’s entering the final year of that fully guaranteed $230 million deal, with a base salary of $46 million. That kind of money doesn’t just sit on the bench without a conversation. And according to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, that conversation is very much alive.
Speaking on The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan, Cabot put Watson’s odds of reclaiming the starting quarterback job at about 40 percent. That’s not a lock-but it’s not a longshot either.
“Right at the moment, he's right in the thick of it,” Cabot said, noting that both head coach Todd Monken and GM Andrew Berry have left the door open for adding another quarterback from the outside.
The State of the QB Room: Watson vs. Sanders
That 40 percent figure says a lot-about Watson, about the Browns, and about the current state of the quarterback market. Whether it’s free agency, the draft, or the trade block, Cleveland doesn’t have a ton of slam-dunk options. Which is why, as things stand, it’s shaping up to be a two-man race between Watson and second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Now, Monken has long admired Sanders. He’s got tools, no question.
But he also showed his inexperience last season, struggling with decision-making and holding onto the ball too long. There were flashes, but also plenty of growing pains.
Watson, on the other hand, brings something different: experience. And when he’s healthy, he’s still got that dual-threat ability-mobility, arm strength, and the kind of improvisational playmaking Monken tends to favor in his quarterbacks. If Watson is truly back to full strength, he’s going to make this a competition.
What’s Next for Watson-and the Browns
Of course, the Browns could still look elsewhere. A veteran free agent or a surprise trade isn’t off the table. But any move like that would likely require Watson to restructure his contract to free up cap space-and it’s hard to imagine him doing that just to help the team find his replacement.
Watson knows what’s at stake. This might be his last real chance to prove he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL. And with the Browns entering a new era under Monken, the opportunity is there-if he can seize it.
So while the past few years have been rocky, Watson’s story in Cleveland isn’t over just yet. Whether it ends in redemption or a parting of ways, 2026 training camp is shaping up to be a pivotal chapter.