BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson on Wednesday acknowledged the magnitude of the opportunity in front of him as he prepares for his first regular-season start since October 2024.
"Me being my last year of my deal and Year 10, I feel like this is my opportunity to be able to go and showcase that I can still play in this league," Watson said of Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "I want to continue to play as well. So, this is my opportunity."
Watson, 30, is making his first start since tearing his right Achilles tendon on Oct. 7, 2024. He missed the entirety of the 2025 season after re-tearing his Achilles and undergoing a second surgery in January 2025.
Suspension and injuries have limited Watson, a three-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans, to just 19 games since the Browns traded three first-round picks and gave him a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract in March 2022.
Since making his debut in Cleveland, Watson's 33.1 QBR would rank last among qualifying quarterbacks.
First-year Browns coach Todd Monken chose Watson as his Week 1 starter after a training camp competition with second-year player Shedeur Sanders.
"I'm excited for him," Monken said. "I've said that all along for all the work he's put in. Again, you'll have to ask him, but I'm assuming that he's super excited about the opportunity to get back on the field and continue to play at a high level."
Watson is 7-0 as a starter against the Jaguars, including an 18-13 win in Jacksonville in Week 2 of the 2024 season -- his last victory as a starter.
"He has really embraced what we do offensively," Monken said. "I think for him it's been a breath of fresh air, new life, new opportunity. Now we've all got to take advantage of it, but same with myself. So I'm excited for him."
Monken said Sanders will be the backup to Watson in Week 1. On Monday, Monken said rookie Taylen Green could be active Sunday with a package of plays to utilize his athleticism, but that keeping three QBs on game day is "[a] lot."