Browns owner Jimmy Haslam high on Deshaun Watson heading into 2026

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam seems to be feeling gooda bout Deshaun Watson's ability to make an impact in 2026.

In fact, speaking with reporters on Monday, Haslam revealed that he likes Watson's odds to be Cleveland's starting quarterback. 

The former No. 12 overall pick and three-time Pro Bowler will be competing alongside 2025 draft picks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel for the starting gig.

"Deshaun has a great chance, fresh start, offensive-minded coach, who has in his past been able to work with all kinds of different quarterbacks and make them successful," Haslam said, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. "So, Deshaun has a great chance to do that now. We talked to him the other day, he said he weighs the [least] he has in several years. He's in great shape, he'll be [in Cleveland] on April 7 when we start [the offseason workout program]. Let's see what Deshaun can do. We're all excited."

To be fair, beating out Sanders and Gabriel shouldn't be a high bar for a quarterback the Browns once traded three first-round picks for while ponying up for a fully guaranteed $230 million deal.

Deshaun Watson hasn't played NFL football since 2024 

Watson has proven to be a more than capable starting quarterback in this league, but the last time he actually played in a game was in 2024. 

He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in October of 2024 that came almost a year after he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.

Watson missed the entire 2025 season after he re-tore the Achilles and had to undergo surgery again in January of 2025. He was also suspended for 11 games in 2022 after being accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

In all, ever since the massive trade that brought Watson to Cleveland after four seasons with the Houston Texans, he has played in just 19 games in a Browns uniform.

Still, four years after the trade that Haslam had called a "big swing and miss", Haslam is hopeful in the 30-year-old quarterback.

Does he have any evidence to support this hope? Well, Watson was able to practice during a three-week span late in the 2025 season, and those reps looked good, per the owner.

"You got to do it in games, under pressure, et cetera, but he threw the ball well," Haslam said.