Wonder why they’re booing you.
Deshaun Watson is trying to win back the starting quarterback job for the Cleveland Browns after suffering an Achilles injury midway through the 2024 season that sidelines him for the rest of the year, and having to undergo surgery for re-rupturing his Achilles back in January of last year that forced him to miss the entire 2025 season.
He returned to action yesterday, coming off the bench to replace Shedeur Sanders during the Browns’ preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills before ultimately going 5 for 12 for just 36 yards and an interception.
Watson is currently battling with second-year quarterback Sanders to win the starting QB job in Cleveland, with new head coach Todd Monken so far declining to name a starter for the regular season.
After the game though, Watson was upset by more than just his performance on the field.
Though the crowd at Huntington Bank Field was…about what you would expect for a preseason Browns game, there were still plenty of boos from Browns fans when Watson took the field. And after the game, the quarterback expressed his displeasure at the reaction he received from the home crowd:
“It has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit personal. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on. …
Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt. So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer.”
Watson said that while he doesn’t regret signing with the Browns, and in fact doesn’t regret ANYTHING in his life, he admits he “had different thoughts” on how his time in Cleveland was going to turn out.
But he really can’t be surprised at the reception, can he?
In case you are in need of a reminder, back in 2021, Deshaun Watson was hit with a grand total of 27 lawsuits accusing the NFL star of sexual misconduct. Many of the lawsuits accused Watson of inappropriate conduct, including exposing himself and forcing women to perform oral sex on him, while receiving massages during his time with the Houston Texans.
Watson has denied any wrongdoing, and a grand jury declined to bring charges against him, and as of earlier this year the lawsuits have all been settled or dismissed. But the staggering number of cases – and their repetitive nature of his alleged conduct – led the then-newly acquired Browns quarterback to be suspended 11 games in 2022.
On top of the lawsuits and legal troubles, Watson has been incredibly injury prone during his time with the Browns. Along with the back-to-back Achilles injuries, he also suffered a shoulder injury in 2023 that limited him to playing in just six games before being shut down.
So far Watson has played only 19 games for the Browns since signing a blockbuster 5-year, $230 million guaranteed contract back in 2022. It’s already widely regarded as one of the worst contracts in NFL history, and unless Watson takes his team to the Super Bowl this year I don’t think there’s much that can change that.
Should be pretty obvious why he’s getting booed by his own team’s fans…
