More likely than not, we are entering the final season of Deshaun Watson on the Cleveland Browns roster. Watson has a good chance to be the starter for the Browns this year, but he’d have to excel in a big way for Cleveland to bring him back, and not allow him to hit free agency next March. 

Last March, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam admitted the team took a “big swing and miss” on the move for Watson from the Houston Texans. At the time, the comments felt a bit premature even if true since Watson was still going to be on the roster. 

“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun,” Haslam said. “We thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we’ve got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (It was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable.”

Watson spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since his Achilles injury in October of 2024. The Browns veteran quarterback was of course asked about his relationship with the Haslam’s due to the very comment above. 

Deshaun Watson gets honest about his relationship with the Haslam family 

“The relationship is great. I mean, Dee and Jimmy, they were at my wedding, we talk all the time,” Watson stated. “He calls me whenever, things happen and things like that. One of my favorite baseball players that I’ve been watching is Bryce Harper. Sometimes he swings, but he stands back up and he gets another opportunity and he hits a home run. So, you never know when the opportunity might show up and that’s what I have right now.”

Watson is referring to the opportunity he has in 2026 to be the team’s starting quarterback. The Browns are starving for success after two straight losing seasons with just eight wins combined. The team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2023 and the roster looks nearly totally different since then. 

Browns head coach Todd Monken is going to go with the quarterback who gives him the best chance to win in his first season as a head coach. Monken wants no part of being a one-and-done as a head coach, so some wins will need to happen.

Watson and Shedeur Sanders are two quarterbacks in competition for the starting job. Watson is playing for his next NFL contract in 2026, while Sanders is trying to prove he’s a starter at the highest level.   

As far as Watson’s comment on the owners, he was always going to take the high road, and it’s water telling the Haslams were at his wedding. There’s obviously no bad blood, even if Jimmy once addressed the elephant in the room.