Deshaun Watson may have ended up with the Cleveland Browns‘ QB1 role. But the fans of the franchise were not quite pleased with how Watson performed against the Buffalo Bills on August 22 (two days before the announcement), as they showered him with boos. While Watson felt the backlash was for personal reasons rather than performance, an NFL radio host believes otherwise.
“You go out, you play like a**, and then you attack your own fan base again,” Jim Rome, who covers the NFL, said on his show. “Yeah, that shows growth. That shows maturity. That shows evolution. No, that shows the exact opposite. It shows that you’re still accepting no accountability. You’re still blaming everybody else. You’re still completely out of touch, and you’re still acting like the world owes you something.
“Well, Browns fans are making it pretty clear that they don’t owe the creep a damn thing. And they don’t, except booing him the next time they see him. That’s the only thing that Browns fans feel that they owe Watson at this point. And they’re right. Of course, they don’t owe him bleep because he hasn’t done bleep except tank their entire franchise, which is why it’s both. It’s both personal and performance-related for Browns fans.”
The onlookers at the Huntington Bank Field’s response wasn’t without reason. Deshaun Watson entered the game against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter and played into the early portion of the fourth quarter before being pulled.
And it was because Watson could complete only 5-of-12 pass attempts while throwing for just 36 yards. Compared to Shedeur Sanders, who completed 9-of-11 pass attempts for 74 yards and a touchdown, the 30-year-old QB’s performance was deemed quite underwhelming, prompting boos from the crowd.
But other than that, Jim Rome pointed out many other possible reasons behind the backlash against Deshaun Watson from the Browns fans. First off, since arriving in Cleveland in 2022, the veteran signal-caller never appeared in his best form, which he had during his time with the Houston Texans.
2020 season still stands as Watson’s breakout year, where he threw for 4,823 yards while posting 33 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games. But representing the Cleveland Browns, he never played an entire season and has made only 19 appearances since his arrival.
Despite the fact that Watson’s absences were due to injuries and suspensions, Browns fans never truly connected with the veteran quarterback. On top of that, his acquisition cost the franchise three first-round draft picks, and he signed a five-year contract worth $230 million that is fully guaranteed.
But when the Browns fans witnessed their franchise not getting the value for money in Watson, the ick against the veteran may have grown stronger, at least according to Jim Rome.
“It seems to me they do hate the guy personally,” Rome added. “But they also hate the guy on the field too because all they’ve ever seen on the field since he arrived there is ass and garbage. And all they’ve ever seen off the field is a terrible, entitled, out-of-touch attitude. And again, with no remorse or contrition.”
Despite the hate, the Cleveland Browns fans will see Deshaun Watson leading the offense in the 2026 season, starting from the Week 1 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 13.