Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season is on the horizon, and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is already thinking about the season that lies beyond. For one thing, he needs to find a permanent solution to his quarterback problem. For the other, he needs a coach who can unlock his team’s full potential. To that end, a Browns insider believes former Alabama head coach Nick Saban fits the bill perfectly.

“I have to say this because I’ve heard a lot of rumors, but I heard Jimmy is not done going after Nick Saban,” Tony Rizzo noted on ESPN Cleveland. “Now, Nick wouldn’t coach but he would have some kind of role. And to combine him… with Arch Manning, they want badly in Berea. I think that stuff’s all still in play.”

Now, the Saban tryst has been a long-running narrative in Cleveland. Last July, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd made the case that this rebuild – with Arch Manning under center, and Nick Saban with an authoritative role – could have come in 2026 itself.

“Jimmy leans heavily on the Manning family,” Cowherd said. “Saban is incredibly close to not only Haslam, but also the Manning family. If Saban can land a top quarterback, he would take a phone call for the NFL.”

But Arch Manning decided to forgo the 2026 NFL draft to work on his development before he turned pro. The Browns, meanwhile, moved on from Kevin Stefanski and handed the head coaching gig to Todd Monken – who’s facing all-too-familiar criticism from the Dawg Pound already. Saban, meanwhile, comes with proven NFL receipts.

Working for four years as the Browns’ defensive coordinator (1991 – 94) under head coach Bill Belichick was a resume booster in itself, but Saban didn’t let that define his tenure. Before his arrival, the Browns had given up the most points in the league (462) in 1990. But under Saban’s tutelage, this unit evolved to allow the fewest points in 1994 (204).

In those four years, their opponents couldn’t bleed the Browns for more than 19.2 points per game. While Saban hasn’t been a football coach since 2023, the prospect of consulting the Browns – especially if they land Arch Manning – would definitely be tantalizing.

As for Manning himself, Browns analyst Tony Rizzo had already made the case back in March that Jimmy is still rooting to draft him to Cleveland. That storyline picked up steam once again when an NFL personnel exec close to the Browns told NFL insider Jason La Canfora that Jimmy Haslam’s plan is for Manning to be the face of the franchise before the Browns open their new stadium in 2029.

“Haslam wants Arch Manning, that’s what this is really all about,” the exec told La Canfora, per a recent column on Casino.org. “I’m not sure he’s coming out [for the draft]. I know Jimmy, and I know how Jimmy thinks. He’s a huge booster for Tennessee. … He wants Arch Manning playing in that new stadium.”

Now, Arch Manning had already solidified himself as a first-rounder through his 2025 campaign, where he threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns against 7 picks, while adding another 399 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. This year, in just two games, he’s already posted 500 yards and 5 touchdowns, and rushed for 30 more yards. If he can keep the momentum up, his 2027 draft status will be just as high as this year’s projections.

On the flip side, that means there’ll be plenty of teams on the lookout for Manning when (if) he declares for the draft next year. To that end, Jimmy Haslam might just have to tank his 2026 season to pick Manning high.

The Browns have already been dealt a brutal 34-10 loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in their season opener, and the front office is still sticking with veteran Deshaun Watson as their starter against the Dawg Pound’s wishes for second-year QB Shedeur Sanders to start.

As the Browns now prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, what happens next is anybody’s guess. But if the Browns haven’t improved this season, the prospect of Nick Saban and Arch Manning on the payroll starts looking like a legitimate plan for 2027 and beyond.