CLEVELAND — Deshaun Watson might’ve been able to overcome the poor performance on the field Saturday vs. the Bills.
Following 5-for-12 and an interception with an emotional news conference in which he clapped back at the fans could cost him the chance to be the starting quarterback.
Watson, 30, was booed throughout his 36-yard performance in the 31-7 loss to the Bills at Huntington Bank Field. He criticized the home fans for the reception and flashed back to the cheers by them when his Achilles tendon tore Oct. 23, 2024, against the Bengals.
This was his first game back in the stadium and admitted he didn’t know if he could defeat that negativity.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s a mental battle every day,” he said. “I feel like I get more love on road games than I do home games. So if it is my spot and he does make me the (starter), maybe it’s 17 away games then.”
The boos began when Watson took the field to start the second half. They grew louder with each failed drive. The loudest reaction from the small crowd came after a fourth-down pass was tipped and fell incomplete.
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None of it sat well with Watson, who’s in a close competition with Shedeur Sanders to be named the starter. Coach Todd Monken would like to make a decision in the coming days and earlier in training camp said mental toughness was his top requirement for a quarterback.
“I think the whole world knows. It has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit more personal than that,” Watson said of the boos. “So I think that’s a disrespectful thing.”
Browns Deshaun Watson on being booed by home crowd. pic.twitter.com/fGgcRn6qEt
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He dismissed the idea that the treatment would improve if he performed better.
“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt,” he said. “So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person get hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer.”
Watson arrived from the Texans in a March 2022 trade. Two Texas grand juries had declined to indict him after more than two dozen massage therapists accused him of sexual assault and misconduct, clearing the way for the Browns to get him. They signed him to a record contract: a fully guaranteed $230 million over five years.
A large segment of the fan base protested the move and many of those people haven’t forgiven or forgotten the serious accusations. He’s denied wrongdoing but issued a blanket apology.
His Cleveland career started with him serving an 11-game suspension from the NFL. Injuries have followed and he’s played only 19 games in four years, including none in 2025 as he recovered from a twice-torn Achilles.
He was asked if he regrets coming to Cleveland.
Browns Deshaun Watson still retains bitterness after being cheered by home crowd when he was hurt in 2024. Was asked if he regrets coming here. pic.twitter.com/z7D4yKTDhr
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“I don’t regret anything in my life,” he said. “I think the Lord put me through situations for a reason. So I don’t regret anything at all.
“But I had different thoughts on how it was going to be, but it is what it is. Sometimes the tables turn and I’m patient enough because I’m a child of God to wait for that time to change. So I’m not tripping on it.”
He had hoped the fans’ animosity would dissipate after missing a season and working to come back. The fact that it persists stings.
“I thought being away for two years and working myself back from two Achilles injuries and putting the time in and being around the facility, being around the city, doing charity work in the city, supporting the Cleveland Browns, hanging out with fans whenever I do see them,” Watson said. “And I guess it hasn’t. So that’s why I say it’s personal. So it is what it is.
“People have their own opinions. There’s only so much you can do to change that. So at the end of the day, I just have to continue to just work on it and strive to be better mentally moving forward.”
Sanders stood up for him.
“In general, I don’t appreciate that at all,” he said of the crowd reaction. “Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings.
“For all the fans, we appreciate you showing up, and however you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it’s more about a bigger purpose and it’s respect. It’s a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we’re all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible. We’re going out there to win games, doing everything we can. So I don’t really appreciate that.”
