How Deshaun Watson reportedly feels about Todd Monken, future with Browns beyond 2026

Numerous reports throughout the spring have hinted that it will be a surprise if Deshaun Watson doesn't emerge as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders.

For a lengthy piece published on Tuesday, ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi and Jeremy Fowler shared why people within the Browns believe Watson could thrive under first-year head coach Todd Monken.

Is Todd Monken the right coach to get the best out of Deshaun Watson with the Browns?

According to Oyefusi and Fowler, "a source close to Watson" said that "Monken's scheme, which is rooted in the Air Raid offense and includes a bevy of spread concepts, fits Watson's skill set and could give him the ability to be 'reactionary, see things and feel plays developing.'" 

Watson has thus far made just 19 starts since the Browns acquired him from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and then signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract. He was arguably the NFL's worst starting quarterback during the 2024 campaign before he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in October of that year. He then missed all of last season after he re-injured the Achilles during his recovery. 

"A source close to Watson said sitting out last 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,'" Oyefusi and Fowler explained. 

Does Deshaun Watson want to stay with Browns beyond 2026 season? 

Multiple reports surfaced suggesting that there is not "a world in which Watson plays well enough this season to convince the Browns to re-sign him and move forward with him as their franchise QB of the future." Per Oyefusi and Fowler, Watson may want to change the minds of those running the franchise about his future beyond the 2026 campaign. 

"The source close to Watson said the QB is focused solely on the upcoming season but believes he isn't against staying in Cleveland beyond 2026 if things go well," Oyefusi and Fowler revealed. "'I think he would be open to that,'" the source said.

It's unclear if the Browns will share such feelings, as the 2027 draft class could be filled with multiple exciting quarterback prospects. That said, the emergence of Tuesday's story is yet the latest sign that certain people associated with the Browns want Cleveland fans to prepare themselves for Watson to start the club's Week 1 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13.