Two days after he was lustily booed by hometown fans, Deshaun Watson has been handed the reins to the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
Cleveland named Watson the starter over Shedeur Sanders for its game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 13, the team announced.
For a variety of reasons, it is likely to be an unpopular decision, easily the most important so far for Todd Monken in his first year as head coach.
"[I] took in the whole body of work over the course of offseason to training camp to games, the joint practice," Monken said Monday, "and ultimately felt like, to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points. That's really what it's about.
"I felt that way going into the last game but wasn't sure. After we talked as a staff and after we re-looked at everything, we're gonna go in that direction."
Watson said Monday that he had "no idea" he was going to be named the starter until Monken told him earlier that morning.
"This is what I've been working for for two years, to show that I'm capable of being the starter for one of the 32 organizations in this league," Watson said of being named the starter. "It felt good and a lot of excitement, but it comes with a lot of work, too. There's a lot of work, there's a lot of challenges that I have to continue to overcome, and I just got to continue to work on achieving those victories each and every day so I'm ready and prepared."
Monken added that Cleveland does not anticipate Watson's status as starting QB to be a "week-by-week thing."
"I think Shedeur has done a great job, come a long ways, and we're excited about his future," Monken added, "but this is not a week-to-week decision."
Neither Watson nor Sanders will play in Cleveland's preseason finale against New England on Thursday.
Over two preseason games, Watson completed 16 of 27 passes (59.3%) for 162 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Sanders connected on 15 of 22 attempts (68.2%) for 153 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
On Saturday, Watson played the second half of the Browns' 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Though the Huntington Bank Field stands were hardly filled, the boos were loud enough to become a story.
Watson was in action on the home field for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon on it during an Oct. 20, 2024 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Some in the crowd cheered Watson's exit that day.
Speaking about the crowd's reaction Saturday and when he was injured, Watson tabbed it "personal" and "disrespectful."
On Monday, Watson apologized for his "emotional" comments.
"I think my emotions got the best of me," Watson said. "My comments [weren't] intending to go at any of the fans around in the city.
"I understand the [fans'] frustration. I understand everything that kinda goes into that. Moving forward, I just want to focus on football, making sure I'm putting the best product out there, having the best ability. Because I thrive off the energy, I thrive off the community, I thrive off all that stuff.
"Again, my emotions got the best of me. I'm human. I take full responsibility [for] that."
Monken reiterated Monday that neither Watson's comments nor fan fallout impacted his decision, which culminates an offseason-long QB battle that saw Sanders and Watson splitting reps throughout practices.
Sanders was a fifth-round draft choice of the Browns in 2025 and ended last season as the team's starter. Dillon Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick who was ahead of Sanders in the pecking order last year before suffering an injury, has been lost in the shuffle.
Watson, 30, is entering his fifth season with the Browns, but has played in just 19 games over the span since Cleveland acquired him in a trade from the Houston Texans. The game against the Jaguars will mark only his third Week 1 start, having missed the season openers in 2022 (suspension) and 2025 (injury).
Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler in four seasons with the Texans, earning a league passing title in 2020. Watson requested a trade from Houston thereafter and was inactive for all of the 2021 season.
Watson was accused by more than 20 women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Two Texans grand juries declined pursuing criminal charges. He was traded to the Browns soon after, with the Texans receiving a cache of draft picks, including three first-rounders. Cleveland and Watson subsequently agreed to a five-year, $230 million extension that was fully guaranteed.
Watson was suspended for the first 11 games of the 2022 season. After finally taking the field for Cleveland, Watson fell well short of his previous all-star form and dealt with a litany of injuries.
A shoulder injury and surgery resulted in him missing the final nine games of the 2023 season. He played only seven games in 2024 thanks to the Achilles injury and underwent two surgeries that led to him missing all of last season.
He's entering the final year of his current contract, which has been viewed as an albatross for the franchise in the eyes of many. Cleveland is incurring a $40.9 million cap hit this season thanks to the deal.
"There's gonna be a lot of ups and downs," Watson said of returning to a starting role, "but at the same time, I'm excited to be a starting quarterback in this league and especially a starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns."
