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In early 2025, Cleveland Browns<\/a>\u00a0team co-owner\u00a0<\/span>Jimmy Haslam<\/a> seemed to close the book on the club’s Deshaun Watson<\/a>\u00a0era when Haslam said<\/a>\u00a0that Cleveland\u00a0<\/span>“took a big swing and miss” when it acquired Watson from the Houston Texans<\/a>\u00a0in March 2022 and then signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Watson has since been given a chance to compete with Shedeur Sanders<\/a> for the right to win the Browns’ starting quarterback job ahead of the 2026 NFL<\/a> season. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Watson was asked about Haslam’s controversial comment.<\/p>\n “I mean, the relationship is great,” Watson said about his dealings with the Haslam family, per the Browns’<\/a> website. “Dee and Jimmy, they were at my wedding. We talk all the time. He calls me whenever, you know, things happen and things like that. One of my favorite baseball players that I\u2019ve been watching is Bryce Harper. Sometimes he swings, but he stands back up, and he gets another opportunity, and he hits a home run. So, you never know when the opportunity might show up, and that\u2019s what I have right now.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Watson’s 2023<\/a>\u00a0season<\/span> ended prematurely because of a shoulder injury, and he was one of the league’s worst starting quarterbacks before he went down with a torn Achilles in October 2024. He hasn’t played since he suffered that initial setback, and he has made just 19 regular-season starts\u00a0for the Browns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before Watson sat through the entire 2021 season amid his desire for a trade, he earned<\/a> the third Pro Bowl nod of his career for his play during the 2020 campaign. On Wednesday, he suggested he is not trying to match what he accomplished the last time he played like an elite QB1.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m not trying to really replicate 2020,” Watson explained. “I\u2019m a different person. I\u2019m older, more wise. So, I think at the same time, I know everyone wants to, we\u2019re on the clock on that, but we can\u2019t do that. So, at the end of the day, I just got to focus on being the best product and being the best player I can for Deshaun Watson as a Cleveland Brown player. So that\u2019s all I\u2019m focused on.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Watson reportedly<\/a> has no long-term future with the Browns beyond the upcoming season, and he could enter September<\/a> as the club’s QB2. Truth be told, he may need to hit more than one figurative home run during preseason games to defeat Sanders in the battle that is expected to run through a portion of August.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nDeshaun Watson not offended by “swing and a miss” comment<\/h2>\n
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Deshaun Watson not trying to turn the clock back<\/h2>\n
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