PHOENIX — A year following his description of the Deshaun Watson acquisition as a “major misstep,” Cleveland Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam informed a collection of area journalists during Monday’s NFL league meetings that Watson possesses a “significant opportunity” and a “new beginning” under rookie coach Todd Monken.
Last year, Haslam’s remarks followed Watson’s campaign-ending Achilles rupture in October 2024, signifying his second straight year with a season-ending ailment (a shoulder surgery concluded his 2023 season in November). The whole 2025 season was missed by Watson subsequent to re-tearing his Achilles and having a second operation in January 2025. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old is presently fit and anticipated to contend against Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel for the Browns’ primary quarterback role.
“Deshaun possesses a significant opportunity, a new beginning, and an offensive-focused coach, who has historically managed to collaborate effectively with various quarterbacks, guiding them to success,” Haslam declared. “Thus, Deshaun holds a strong prospect of achieving that presently. We communicated with him recently; he stated his weight is the lowest it has been in numerous years. He is in excellent physical condition; he will arrive [in Cleveland] on April 7 as we commence [the offseason training regimen]. Let us observe Deshaun’s capabilities. Everyone is enthusiastic.”
Due to a suspension and ailments, Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler for the Houston Texans, has been restricted to merely 19 appearances since the Browns exchanged three first-round selections and awarded him a completely guaranteed $230 million in March 2022. Following his arrival in Cleveland, his 33.1 Total QBR would place him at the bottom among eligible quarterbacks. The Browns are slated to disburse a $46 million salary to Watson in 2026; however, they recently reconfigured his agreement to reduce what was projected to be an NFL-leading $80.7 million cap burden for the forthcoming season.
Previously, Browns general manager Andrew Berry stated that every quarterback on Cleveland’s roster is anticipated to vie for the primary position. Monken has articulated his intention to extend Watson the “presumption of innocence” given his past status as an elite athlete.
Haslam mentioned Watson “performed adeptly with the ball” over a three-week period late in the 2025 season when he was cleared to rejoin practice from the physically incapacitated players list. Cleveland initiated Watson’s practice period, aiming to provide him with training repetitions prior to the spring’s offseason conditioning program.
“One must perform in actual matches, under duress, and so forth, yet he handled the ball proficiently,” Haslam remarked.