New NFL Rumors on Deshaun Watson's Browns Future, Mindset amid Shedeur Sanders QB1 Battle

After missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from a torn Achilles, Cleveland Browns veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson sounds refreshed heading into the 2026 campaign.

ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi and Jeremy Fowler reported that a source close to Watson, who is locked in a battle with Shedeur Sanders for the starting quarterback position, said the 30-year-old "is focused solely on the upcoming season but believes he isn't against staying in Cleveland beyond 2026 if things go well."

"I think he would be open to that," the source said.

The 2026 season is the final guaranteed year of Watson's contract, and he's set to count for a $44.9 million cap hit. The Browns drafted two quarterbacks last year in Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, setting themselves up for the future.

The source close to Watson said he "has no ill will toward Cleveland," and he "understands why fans are frustrated" with him amid his disappointing tenure with the franchise that began in 2022.

However, Watson seems to be bringing a renewed mindset to this year, as the source said that sitting out the 2025 season was "the best thing that could've happened to him. He wasn't rushed back onto the field, and he had time to reflect on how he can get the best out of this year, and he's excited."

It was also noted that Browns first-year head coach Todd Monken is implementing an offensive scheme that "fits Watson's skill set and could give him the ability to be 'reactionary, see things and feel plays developing.'"

"This can be a good thing for Monken because he's got a veteran that he can play with low expectations," an NFL personnel evaluator told Oyefusi and Fowler. "If [Watson is] even 80 percent of what he was, that's a win. But he just hasn't played a lot of football and has a long injury history, so it's hard to truly know what you have."