Something about the Cleveland Browns’ latest quarterback drama doesn’t add up, and former NFL stars are starting to notice. Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are battling out for the QB1 position. However, when Browns GM Andrew Barry revealed that Watson’s contract situation will have no advantage over Sanders, it drew a contrasting opinion from Chad Johnson.

“I respect Mr. Barry,” Johnson said on the Nightcap Podcast. “I love him. He has a very tough job to do. But to sit there and say that what you’re making does not have any significance whether you start or not when it comes to money… In the history of this game, it’s never happened where someone’s making that kind of money, and someone else beats them out of their position. It just hasn’t happened ever.

“It’s okay to, you know, when you ask this like a politician, you ask a politician, they answer the question without really answering it. And if you know the game, understand the game, you understand the business when it comes to this game, you know they’re lying… He can’t tell the truth. But even a blind man can see how this business has always worked when it comes to the person making the most of the money. They’ve always been the starter.”

Deshaun Watson signed a five-year, $230 million deal in 2022 that is fully guaranteed and pays him $46 million annually. Despite such a high-stakes valuation, the output from the veteran QB has been quite minimal.

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In four seasons with the franchise, Watson made appearances only 19 times. But since Watson is heading into the final season of his contract, many believe the Cleveland Browns would want to push the 30-year-old signal-caller to start over Shedeur Sanders and allow him to play well and salvage his market value before entering free agency in 2027.

Chad Johnson, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL, believes the Browns intend to follow this approach despite GM Andrew Barry’s statement.

“It’s a performance-based decision,” Barry said on the Deebo & Joe Podcast. “The contract does not matter. We’re pleased with both guys. I think they both had a nice preseason, and they did some good things in the game this week.”

Deshaun Watson currently holds the advantage over Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns’ QB1 battle. While head coach Todd Monken insists the race remains “pretty balanced,” Watson’s performance in their preseason opener against the Chicago Bears has given him the inside track for the Week 1 job.

Watson, as the starter, finished 11-of-15 for 126 yards and executed two scoring drives (a field goal and a touchdown). On the other hand, Sanders took over for the entire third quarter and ran into the fourth. Compared to Watson, he completed only 6-of-11 passes for 79 yards, which even fumed him.

However, to keep the competition completely fair, coach Monken will be reversing roles for Cleveland’s second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, August 22

Shedeur Sanders will start the game and is expected to play the entire first half with the first-team offense. Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson will slide to the bench to start, coming in to handle the third-quarter reps.

Will that impact their output on the field? It will be interesting to see, as it only intensifies the battle between the two.