Cleveland Browns fans know how fast a season can flip. In 2023, Joe Flacco arrived midseason as an afterthought and led Cleveland into the playoffs, a reminder that this league’s verdicts never stay final. Now the quarterback the Browns built their future around is writing his own story, and Deshaun Watson’s wife, Jilly Watson, has a message for everyone who said it couldn’t happen.
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When an Instagram handle posted clips of Deshaun Watson throwing passes to Browns players, the post caught Jilly’s attention.
“They counted us out. We counted blessings!!” Jilly wrote in the comments section.
Deshaun Watson joined the Cleveland Browns in 2022, coming off a breakout 2020 season with 4,823 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games.
However, his stint with the franchise has been anything but successful. Heading into the 2026 season, Watson had only 19 appearances for the Browns, where he missed multiple games due to injuries and suspensions.
Ahead of the 2026 season, there were several concerns around Watson, starting with physical capability, adapting to Todd Monken’s offense, and competing against Shedeur Sanders for the QB1 role.
Many, including ESPN Cleveland host Tony Rizzo, also questioned the logical and financial justification of prioritizing Deshaun Watson over developing their rookie asset.
Rizzo argued that it made zero organizational sense to utilize a highly expensive, temporary veteran bridge quarterback when they had a dynamic rookie contract waiting behind him.
However, Watson has adapted to Monken’s playbook quite efficiently. So far, the 31-year-old quarterback has racked up 1,482 passing yards in seven games with a record of 5-2.
Jilly Anais Watson, who has been married to Deshaun Watson since 2025 after dating for nearly seven years, had a lot to say to the haters.
Deshaun has also credited her as his biggest supporter during his rehab.
“I lean on my mom, and ultimately, I lean on my wife. That’s my biggest person of peace that I have,” Watson said in August 2026. “You might catch me during the games, in certain situations, looking up to her in the suite, just making sure that as long as she’s there. She’s been there the whole time, through my situations the last five years. So she’s the best person in the world that I can lean on for support.”
Despite the growing criticism, the Cleveland Browns QB has stabilized himself. Now, it will be interesting to see if Watson can maintain that consistency going forward.