Browns HC Todd Monken Will Name Starting QB On Monday

Browns HC Todd Monken told reporters during his press conference that he plans on naming a starting quarterback between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders on Monday following the team’s second preseason loss to the Bills.

Monken also said that Watson’s postgame comments after he was booed by the home crowd, which he described as “personal” and “disrespectful,” would not affect his decision.

Watson’s comments have led some to believe he wants out of Cleveland and therefore will not be named the starter, as fans booed him when he originally tore his Achilles and again when he threw an interception in the second half of Saturday’s game.

Sanders said that he does not condone the fans’ vocal criticism of Watson during a sideline interview. 

Watson, 30, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games. 

Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons. 

In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.

We’ll have more on the Browns’ starting quarterback when it is announced tomorrow.