The Cleveland Browns do not have a ton of money to spend on a quarterback in free agency, but they may not need to in order to entirely revamp the QB room this offseason.
Deshaun Watson remains on the books in 2026 at an astronomical salary cap number of more than $80.7 million.
The Browns can likely find a way to push some of that money off into the future and clear up space for next season, as they bring in a new head coach. But previous restructures already mean Cleveland has to assume hits tallying more than $53 million total between 2027-29 — three years after Watson’s contract expires and he’s presumably no longer on the team.
That putrid contract and its ramifications are what they are, and the best way to combat them would be to roll with QB Sheduer Sanders in his second season or draft a quarterback in April on a rookie-scale contract. But those are imperfect solutions outside of their financial benefits.
Sanders had moments, but didn’t do enough to cement his role as QB1 moving forward, which general manager Andrew Berry has already said publicly. However, he was good enough to lead the Browns to a 5-12 record, which dropped them to the No. 6 pick next April.
That selection is too low to land Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, likely to go in the top two as the only two franchise QB prospects in the class. So barring what would certainly be an exceedingly expensive trade up with either the Las Vegas Raiders or New York Jets, both of which desperately need starting QBs of their own, the Browns are left to turn to the trade market.
The best option in that regard is almost certainly Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers.
Mac Jones Had Bounce-Back Season With 49ers in 2025, Upped His Trade Value Significantly
GettySan Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones.
Jones, 27, is entering the second season of a two-year deal worth $8.4 million with the Niners in 2026. His total earnings in the coming year will be $4.6 million, including a base salary of just $2.8 million.
Following the 2026 campaign, Jones will have earned $24 million all told across six seasons with the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and 49ers — and potentially another team like the Browns, should San Francisco decide to make a trade this offseason.
Jones, a former first-round pick in 2021 (No. 15) overall, had a resurgent year with the 49ers in 2025. He stepped in for the injured Brock Purdy early in the campaign, appearing in a total of 11 games and earning eight starts (5-3). Jones finished the year with 2,151 yards, 13 TDs and six INTs on 69.6 percent passing.
Browns Have Not Committed to Shedeur Sanders as Starter Next Season
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns
Jones will probably cost the Browns something like their third-round pick (No. 70) overall, and perhaps a little bit more.
However, that is a much lesser cost than packaging the No. 6 pick, along with the first-rounder the Jacksonville Jaguars owe Cleveland next April (currently No. 28), plus a handful of other assets just to move up four or five spots and take a swing on a rookie — if the Browns could even convince the Raiders or Jets to agree to that.
The 2027 class should be more top heavy and much deeper simultaneously at the QB position than this year, and Berry did so well in the 2025 draft that keeping several high picks and building around the quarterback is probably the optimal strategy.
Jones can be a stop-gap solution as a starter, competition for Sanders and/or potentially a longterm solve for the future, depending on whether he can carry his newfound success with him from San Francisco into the rest of the league, just as Sam Darnold did over the past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks after following a very similar career arc.
Regardless of the path they take, the Browns are almost certain to find another quarterback this offseason based on Berry’s comments involving Sanders this week.
“I can’t sit here and tell you today whether the solution for the starter in 2026 is internal or external,” Berry said Monday. “It’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks, and quite honestly, the new head coach will have a lot of input on that as well.”
Browns Trade Pitch Nets $24 Million QB, as GM Won’t Commit to Sanders