Jimmy Haslam Said The Quiet Part Out Loud About Cleveland Browns 2026 Season

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said what many fans are already thinking about the 2026 season.

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and JW Johnson, managing partner, watch training camp at team headquarters in Berea on July 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is in the headlines after speaking with the media Friday afternoon at training camp.

He discussed a multitude of topics, but shared one quote in particular that affirms the beliefs of plenty of Browns fans. Unfortunately, it's not something that will inspire much confidence about a successful 2026 campaign.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam shares clear thoughts about 2026 team

Browns beat reporter Daniel Oyefusi shared a damning quote from Haslam on Friday.

Haslam: "We want to be a contending playoff team in ’27."

Johnson: "I just want to say we're not punting on this season by any means. ’27, whatever, that's great. But we have high expectations for this team." https://t.co/7ny3kasJq4

— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) July 31, 2026

"We want to be a contending playoff team in 2027."

For those keeping track of basic time, the 2026 season has still not begun.

Luckily, Haslam's son-in-law JW Johnson was right next to him to clarify that the team is not in fact waving the white flag in 2026. But that doesn't automatically erase what Haslam said out loud for everyone to hear.

The owner of the team said the focus is on competing in 2027. For fans, this stinks but is also not surprising.

The Browns don't have a quarterback of the future in place and are clearly waiting for Deshaun Watson's contract to end. The only hope is that Shedeur Sanders will win the starting job and prove he is indeed a quarterback to build around. Yet it appears even Haslam himself is not holding out much hope of any positive scenario happening in 2026.

The Myles Garrett trade seemed to signal the team was ready to focus on 2027. Then there is the fact GM Andrew Berry has kept his job amidst all the losing. This does make it appear as if the hope is to go all-in on the stacked 2027 quarterback class, with Haslam family friend Arch Manning serving as the golden option.

Browns fans have heard this story before and many are tired of the proverbial "wait until next year." Next year has come around time and time again and the team is still near the bottom of the NFL.

Those willing to defend Haslam can point to the fact the team has won a combined eight games over the past two seasons. Todd Monken is in as a new head coach and it would be unfair to put playoff expectations on this 2026 group. Thus, a fair plan is to focus on building toward true competitiveness in 2027.

But once again, this is the same old Browns story. Fans are tired of hearing it and it will be interesting to see if there is any vocal backlash toward Haslam from fans if the team gets off to a slow start in September.