Deshaun Watson apologizes after Browns fans boo him as QB1

The Browns named Deshaun Watson their Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders, and instead of a normal quarterback announcement, it turned into a referendum on everything wrong with this franchise. Watson didn't help himself when he told reporters the booing from Browns fans felt personal.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

"It has nothing to do about the performance. It's a little bit personal than that. It's a disrespectful thing." "Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles. And that same fan base cheered when I got hurt." - Deshaun Watson on the boos from fans

Watson is three years into the fully-guaranteed 5-year, $230 million deal Cleveland handed him after trading for him back in 2022, and it has been a disaster on every level since. He's now also working back from tearing his Achilles twice, once in October and again in January, which makes his comment about fans cheering his injury land even worse. Barstool accounts and fans jumped on the clip immediately, with Jeff D. Lowe simply wanting him gone from the building.

Jeff D. Lowe

@JeffDLowe

Lmao just get this guy the fuck out of here already. #Browns

By the next afternoon, Watson walked it back with an actual apology at the podium for how he handled the boos comments a day earlier.

Barstool Sports

@barstoolsports

Deshaun Watson apologized for his comments about Browns fans after being named the starter

None of this is happening in a vacuum. Head coach Todd Monken made the QB1 call, and Will Compton pointed out the decision felt like it came from somewhere above Monken's pay grade — a not-so-subtle nod to ownership and the front office having their own reasons for running Watson back out there. Whether that's true or not, it's the exact kind of conspiracy theory a fanbase reaches for when a $230 million disaster keeps getting chances.

Will Compton

@_willcompton

Feels like a decision CLEARLY above Todd Monken

Browns Twitter did what Browns Twitter does best, which is combine misery with dark comedy. Ohio's Tate wasn't holding back, and it's the kind of reaction that sums up a fanbase that's watched one QB disaster after another for going on 2 decades.

Ohio’s Tate

@OhioTate

I AM SICK AND FUCKING TIRED OF THE CLEVELAND BROWNS For a franchise known for bad decisions, naming Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback today is the worst one they've ever made

Big Cat and the PMT crew leaned into the chaos with their trademark sarcasm, telling fans to stop booing a guy who "sucks, gets paid hundreds of millions and is a bad guy" because, hey, it's mean to boo. Eric Nathan framed the real cynical read floating around Cleveland: maybe the front office wants Watson to fail spectacularly enough that Shedeur Sanders gets to ride in as the hero. Whether or not that's the actual plan, it captures exactly how little goodwill Watson has left with this fanbase heading into a season nobody in Cleveland is excited about.