Monken Meets Sanders
Browns Coach Monken Eager to Meet Deion Sanders in Mid-June Amid Unresolved QB Battle
Key Points
Monken said he “can’t wait” to meet Deion Sanders, adding he has “a lot of respect” for Coach Prime “as a player” and for “what he’s done as a coach,” and specifically praised Shedeur Sanders, noting that “all he has done since I’ve been here is work” and “compete.”
Deion Sanders said on Cleveland’s “The Barbershop” that he viewed Monken as a “straight shooter,” saying: “(Monken) keeps it a buck,” and that he wants the meeting “as a coach, not the dad” to share what can help “get him going.”
Deion Sanders previously claimed the Browns never reached out to him during his son’s rookie season, telling Monken he “want[s] to meet him” because “that wasn’t asked of me a year ago,” and questioned the lack of conversation even in the case of Travis Hunter—saying, “Even a guy like Travis Hunter being drafted to Jacksonville… don’t you think you would want to talk to me…?”
Monken indicated the meeting timing is also tied to logistics: he said Sanders planned to come “but he had a commercial,” and Monken added that if Deion “just lets me know where the next commercial shoot is, I’ll be there,” with Monken’s travel schedule not opening until mid-June and the Browns having “four more practices” on their offseason itinerary.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken said he "can't wait" to meet Deion Sanders, but their sit-down won't happen until mid-June at the earliest. Monken's travel schedule is the holdup — and a commercial shoot delayed Deion's earlier planned visit, according to NBC Sports.
The meeting comes after Deion publicly criticized the Browns for never reaching out during Shedeur Sanders' rookie season. Meanwhile, the starting quarterback competition between Shedeur and Deshaun Watson remains wide open heading into training camp.
Deion Wanted a Call That Never Came
Deion Sanders appeared on Cleveland's "The Barbershop" podcast on May 14 and made his frustration clear. He said the previous Browns staff never asked him what helps Shedeur perform — or what holds him back. "That wasn't asked of me a year ago," Deion said, according to Sports Illustrated. He even pointed to Travis Hunter's trade to Jacksonville as an example. "Don't you think you would want to talk to me?" he asked.
Despite the criticism, Deion called Monken a "straight shooter" who "keeps it a buck." He said he wants the meeting "as a coach, not the dad" — framing it as a peer consultation, not parental pressure. Monken matched that energy. He said he has "a lot of respect" for Deion as both a player and a coach, and praised Shedeur directly: "All he has done since I've been here is work and compete," Monken told reporters, per NBC Sports.
Shedeur vs. Watson: No Decision Yet
The quarterback race is still unsettled. Monken admitted he is "leaning one way or the other" day to day — but no final call has been made. That's partly because the team hasn't practiced in pads yet, and no preseason games have been played. Without that data, evaluation is limited. Reports suggest a QB1 announcement could come before or during mandatory minicamp, which runs June 9–11, according to Sports Illustrated.
Shedeur started 7 of 8 games as a rookie in 2025. He threw for 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, finishing 3–4 as a starter, per Heavy Sports. Watson, returning from two torn Achilles tendons, has played just 19 games since the Browns acquired him in 2022. Recent OTA sessions reportedly showed Shedeur "outshining" Watson in deep-ball situations — but Watson is said to hold a slight edge in early assessments.
Watson's $45 Million Price Tag Looms Large
Watson carries roughly a $45 million cap hit in 2026 despite playing no more than seven games since joining Cleveland. If the quarterback race stays close, that cost could tip the scales in Watson's favor — at least initially. Multiple reports suggest the financial pressure makes it harder for the Browns to simply bench him without a clear performance gap, per Sports Illustrated.
The Browns restructured Watson's contract for the fourth time on March 6, pushing dead money into 2027 and 2028, according to Sports Illustrated. That move bought time but didn't erase the burden. If Watson loses the job cleanly, Cleveland faces a projected $86.2 million dead cap hit in the following two seasons — a massive price for a quarterback who never delivered.
Monken's New Era Resets How Browns Operate
Todd Monken was hired as head coach on January 30, 2026, replacing Kevin Stefanski after a 5–12 season, according to WKYC. His willingness to meet Deion Sanders — and to openly say so publicly — marks a shift from the closed-door style of the previous regime. Monken said if Deion "just lets me know where the next commercial shoot is, I'll be there." That's an unusual posture for an NFL head coach.
The Browns also traded franchise icon Myles Garrett to the Rams on June 1 for pass rusher Jared Verse and three high-round picks. Garrett leaves as the team's all-time sack leader with 125.5 career sacks, per The Guardian. The moves together signal a full organizational reset — built around a younger core, new offensive leadership, and a quarterback battle that won't be settled until the pads go on.
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