Conflicting reports emerged in February regarding whether or not the Cleveland Browns will emerge as legitimate contenders to win the Malik Willis sweepstakes after the current Green Bay Packers backup quarterback officially hits free agency once the new league year opens on March 11.
The Browns currently have 2025 rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel sharing their quarterback room with veteran Deshaun Watson. For a piece published on Sunday, ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi suggested that Cleveland fans hoping the team will seriously pursue Willis may want to put such dreams to bed as of the first week of March.
Will Deshaun Watson impact another Browns offseason?
“One factor that led league sources to express skepticism over a possible pairing in Cleveland was Willis sharing the same agent as Watson, who is aiming to return to his starting role after missing all of the 2025 season because of his Achilles rehab,” Oyefusi explained. “Watson, who has played in only 19 games because of suspension and injuries since arriving in Cleveland via trade in March 2022, has a fully guaranteed $46M salary in 2026.”
Watson suffered a torn Achilles tendon in October 2024 and then missed the entire 2025 season after he reinjured the Achilles during his recovery. That said, recently hired Browns head coach Todd Monken has hinted since winning the job that he wants to allow Watson to reclaim the form that made him a three-time Pro Bowler when he was with the Houston Texans.
As for Willis, he is expected to become the most-coveted quarterback in free agency later in March. It would be rather surprising if he signed a deal with any team unwilling to simply hand him the QB1 job this spring.
Browns not looking to make a major financial splash at QB?
“There has been speculation Willis could receive a contract that is similar to — or exceeds — the two-year, $40M deal that Justin Fields signed with the New York Jets last offseason,” Oyefusi added.
Oyefusi also noted that the Browns could look to sign either Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins or Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals to “a low, minimum-level salary because of the guaranteed money still owed by their former teams” if they are released by their clubs, as expected.
In short, it sounds like the Browns won’t be looking to add a ton of salary to the books regarding their quarterback situation. Thus, one would assume they won’t be a realistic landing spot for Willis unless the market for his services isn’t as robust as advertised.
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