Jimmy and Dee Haslam are 99.9% confident that the Brook Park stadium and mixed-use project will happen. They envision a groundbreaking in February. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
In his annual training camp press availability, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam re-stated the organization’s plan to patiently search for the next franchise quarterback to lead the team out of the wilderness.
“We made the decision last year to take a step back after last year’s disaster,” Haslam said, blunt as ever. “And looking at our roster and knowing that we needed a quarterback to do this over a two- or three-year period, you know, it’s too early to say ... but we like our [entire] rookie group.”
In March, Haslam said the team would continue to look for “the guy” if this year’s draft didn’t produce the next franchise QB. And then the Browns traded the No. 2 overall pick for a generous package that included Jacksonville’s first-round pick in the quarterback-rich 2026 draft.
Haslam said the Browns “were locked on” Colorado two-way sensation Travis Hunter with the second pick in the 2025 draft until the Jaguars blew them away with their trade offer. The Browns then used Jacksonville’s No. 5 pick on defensive tackle Mason Graham and used Jacksonville’s 36th overall pick on running back Quinshon Judkins.
“We just thought it was too good to pass up,” Haslam said. “Time will tell whether we did the right thing or not.”
Now owning two picks in the first round of the 2026 draft, the Browns are poised to intensify their search for a franchise quarterback.
With that in mind, I asked Haslam to comment on the fact the Browns are already being connected to super-heralded Texas quarterback Arch Manning because of Haslam’s renowned relationship with the Manning family. Manning is eligible to enter the NFL draft in 2026, but this will be only his first full year as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
“I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that — and I don’t know Arch at all — I bet he stays in college two years, so I don’t even think that’s worth discussing,” Haslam said.
OK, fine. There are still expected to be at least five quarterbacks available in the 2026 draft who will be professionally evaluated much higher than Browns rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
On other issues, Haslam:
* Debunked the narrative that coach Kevin Stefanski or GM Andrew Berry are on the hot seat.
“We’re very supportive of Kevin and Andrew. Now do they need to do better? Yeah, but so do Dee [Haslam] and I. You know what I mean? And these are hig- pressure jobs they have, but we really like them in their roles as coach and GM, and we really like them as people. And I say this all the time. They’re 38 and 42 years old.”
* Agreed the Browns need to get Gabriel and Sanders some exposure this season in regular game situations to fully evaluate their needs in the 2026 draft.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. Kevin is aware of that. He knows how important quarterback is and he and Andrew talk about those kinds of things all the time. It’s a daily, ongoing conversation.”
* Disputed that he ordered the drafting Sanders in the fifth round after the organization had acquired veteran quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco and drafted Gabriel in the third round.
“Yeah, listen, we have a good process, OK? And if you’d have told me, let’s see, we picked him on Saturday, right? Friday night, driving home, y’all are gonna pick Shedeur. I would say that that’s not happening. But we had a conversation early that morning and then we had a conversation later that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. At the end of the day that’s Andrew Berry’s call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur. Just like who’s going to start or what play we’re going to call is Kevin’s call. But that’s Andrew’s call. He made the call.”
* Expressed frustration with the Quinshon Judkins domestic violence incident but said he was “cautiously optimistic” that Judkins would eventually sign a contract and play for the Browns this year. He also expressed frustration that the organization failed to vet domestic violence history in the cases of Judkins, Devin Bush and Michael Hall.
“You know, that’s a question I ask. OK, let’s go back and let’s look at Quinshon, let’s look at Devin, let’s look at Mike Hall Jr. And there was, to the best of my knowledge, and we talked about this yesterday with Andrew, there was nothing in any of their backgrounds that showed anything like this.”
* Declined to define how many wins would define a successful season.
“Listen, we got to do better than three, OK? To put a number on it, I don’t think we will ever do that. Everybody, coaches, players, personnel, ownership, all know that 3-14 won’t cut it. We’ve got to do better. I think we’ll know what better looks like.”
On issues relating to the Brook Park stadium and economic development project, Haslam:
* Said he’s “99.9%” confident that the project will happen and projected a groundbreaking in February of 2026.
* Appealed to the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to make up a shortfall of $300 million in financing for the $2.4 billion project.
“Let me say this and try to be very respectful of everybody. What we said is we can do the project without the county, OK? I think it’s best if the county and HSG [Haslam Sports Group] work together. And I won’t say anything more than that. I just think it’s helpful in this community to work with the city, to work with the county and to work with the other sports teams.”
* Dee Haslam deferred a question about HSG’s potential involvement in lakefront development after a move to Brook Park.
“We don’t know that because we haven’t been involved in the conversations of what they’re planning on doing, but you know, obviously we care about Cleveland, and we definitely want to see the lakefront done.”
* Said the maximum expected capacity of 70,000 in the Brook Park stadium should not disqualify the site from hosting a future Super Bowl.
“I think what the Commissioner [Roger Goodell] said when he was here … or maybe it’s when we were in Columbus, I can’t remember … is, listen, the stadium is going to be Super Bowl-ready. The question is, does the community have enough resources, hotels, etc. to support a Super Bowl? And listen, I think Nashville will get a Super Bowl in the next four or five years. If you’d asked me 10 years ago, would Nashville get a Super Bowl, I would have said no. So, we don’t rule out anything.”