The Deshaun Watson debate has dominated the Cleveland Browns’ offseason, and with the voluntary workout program now underway in Berea, the conversation is only going to intensify. Watson is expected to compete for the starting job and owner Jimmy Haslam has spoken warmly about him. General manager Andrew Berry has left the door open for an extension. But one Browns insider wants no part of any of it.
Jason Lloyd of The Athletic appeared on 92.3 The Fan recently and made his position on Watson very clear.
“I see no upside in playing Deshaun. If he goes out and looks moderately decent, are you gonna sign him to another extension? I hope not,” Lloyd said.
"I see no upside in playing Deshaun. If he goes out and looks moderately decent, are you gonna sign him to another extension? I hope not."
📞@ByJasonLloyd says the Browns should NOT start Deshaun Watson in 2026 pic.twitter.com/V8g1eP99oq
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 8, 2026
Watson is entering the final year of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract. After this season, the Browns can move on from him without the kind of cap hit that has defined his tenure in Cleveland. That exit ramp is right there.
What does moderately decent actually mean for a quarterback coming off two Achilles surgeries, a major shoulder operation, and two years without playing a meaningful game? If Watson goes out and completes 62 percent of his passes, avoids turnovers, and wins seven or eight games, what do the Browns do then? Do they bring him back?
These are the questions that will come up if Watson performs well enough.
Lloyd’s argument is that the cleanest path forward is to hand the job to Shedeur Sanders, let him develop under Todd Monken in a more functional offensive system, and use 2026 as a true evaluation year for the second-year quarterback. Watson already cost the Browns three first-round picks and $230 million. Risking the future of the franchise on a sixth season that muddies the quarterback picture is a price Lloyd is not willing to pay.
Whether Monken agrees is another matter entirely. He has consistently said the competition will be genuine and performance-based.
The workouts start now. The answers will come in time.
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