Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson made it clear that he feels disrespected by his home fans booing him off the field after a 22-month absence due to multiple Achilles tears.
Watson joined the Browns in a very expensive trade from the Houston Texans in 2022 and signed a fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract to stay with the team.
Since then, he’s played just 19 regular-season games, missing time due to injuries, sexual misconduct allegations, and suspensions. But the 30-year-old QB doesn’t understand why Browns fans booed him.
Deshaun Watson reacts to boos from Browns fans with a blunt reactionWatson made his second 2026 preseason appearance against the Bills at the Browns’ home Huntington Bank Field, Watson’s first game in front of his home fans in 671 days. But he was not a fan of the boos.
“I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit more personal than that. So, I think it’s a disrespectful thing. I will keep whatever I feel with me and my family.”
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. This same fanbase cheered when I got hurt. What does that have to do with performance? They cheered.”
Watson is making a clear nod to this all being fallout from his sexual misconduct allegations, as he was sued by 22 different women from 2021 to 2022 over this fact.
No criminal charges materialised against Watson, and most of the civil lawsuits have been settled, although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is on record calling Watson’s behavior ‘egregious’ and ‘predatory.’
This same interview had Watson also say that he ‘doesn’t regret anything in his life,’ so it’s clear he thinks the fanbase should have moved on from the allegations that have surrounded him for the last five years.
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty ImagesIf this isn’t enough to justify why Browns fans dislike Watson, there’s also the footballing reason of their franchise overpaying (trade and contract both) for an always-injured QB, which has kept the franchise stuck for the last four seasons.
Watson is currently battling for the QB1 position on the Browns against second-year QB Shedeur Sanders.
He’s gone 6-of-27 (59.3%) on passes in preseason and has 0 touchdowns, so his performance isn’t giving Browns fans any reason to cheer for him either.
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