Deshaun Watson is set to make his first home appearance since rupturing his Achilles in October 2024 when the Cleveland Browns host the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
As he gears up to face the home crowd, his response to a question about the reception he might receive did not go over well with fans already worn down by four years of injuries, a lengthy suspension, and a fully guaranteed contract that has delivered just 19 games.
Deshaun Watson Indifferent to Potentially Being Booed at HomeWatson is returning from his second major injury in three seasons. He tore his Achilles against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 of 2024. At the time, notably, a section of fans rained down boos on Watson as he lay on the field.
He had previously missed most of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury that required surgery.
During the presser on Wednesday, when asked if he had considered the reception he might receive from Browns fans this weekend, Watson’s answer was three words: “I don’t care.”
The reactions online were immediate in their frustration. “Why would he care? He’s played like garbage, hasn’t played a full season, and has a guaranteed contract. Dude has never cared about Cleveland, so why is anyone surprised?” one fan wrote.
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Others argued what they felt Watson should have said instead. “That is the problem – super tone deaf. I would have answered: I need to win their trust back,” a fan said. “Horrible response by Watson. He should have said, ‘If I’m the starter, I’m going to work hard to earn their trust.’ He’s been a huge bust, so have some humility,” added another.
Several fans pointed directly to the money.
“Guy got a quarter of a billion to play 19 games and set the team back years because of the draft capital that was given up for him. Now he’s going to try to finally play well in the last year of his contract so he can get another team to give him another quarter of a billion dollar contract. I can’t wait until this nightmare is over,” one fan wrote.
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“He has 230 million reasons not to care. He knows he’ll never win any meaningful games at this point in his career, so what’s his reason for playing? To get paid, and that’s what he cares about,” remarked another.
Some just directed their frustration at the team itself. “And we’re gonna start him, I hate this team,” wrote one fan.
In total, Watson has started 19 games for Cleveland since being acquired from the Houston Texans for three first-round picks in 2022, going 9-10 as a starter with 3,365 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Watson has been booed at Huntington Bank Field before.
During pregame introductions in October 2024, the crowd jeered at him while cheering the players introduced around him. When he went down with the Achilles injury later that same month, portions of the crowd booed again. Whether Saturday brings more of the same remains to be seen.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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