After winning the starting quarterback job with the Cleveland Browns, Deshuan Watson’s first start back from injury on Sept. 13, ended in a 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
RELATED: ‘He’s Totally Washed’: Cleveland Browns Chose Deshaun Watson. Live With It and Trade Shedeur Sanders
Watson Gets Blown Out Week 1: Fans Want Shedeur
Watson threw an interception on his first drive but was able to complete 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a meaningless TD once the game was well out of hand. The performance was not enough to stop fans from clamoring for the Browns to bench Watson and bring in Shedeur Sanders, the second-year QB who led the team to three of its five wins last season as a rookie.
NFL analyst Robert Griffin III said that the Browns started Watson because of the $230M fully-guaranteed contract he signed and the $46M they owe him this season. Fans didn’t care about any of that after Todd Monken’s starting signal caller and team showed very little in the Week 1 defeat.
Watson Says Media Creating Unrealistic Expectations
Watson, who has continued to get opportunities despite being a shell of the dynamic dual-threat he was in Houston, blames the media for all of the bad vibes surrounding his return to the helm in Cleveland.
“I think personally all that is from the media,” Watson said in a press conference. “I think the media has this expectation that I’m supposed to throw 400 yards and 5 touchdowns every week. Until that happens I guess it’s going to be the same situation, so again, my job is to make sure I’m operating well so we can try to get a win and keep moving forward from there.”
Watson has never been one to read the room well. When he signed his big deal with Cleveland and then was unable to play due to suspension and injuries, then returned and looked like he forgot how to play the position, Watson didn’t fall back into the lab to work harder and return stronger.
He posted photos together with his new wife going on trips and spending lavishly. He benefited the most from the hate toward Sanders, and despite everyone knowing that the Browns can’t rely on him to usher in a new, winning era, he was awarded the starting job.
Now, this is what the media can expect to get in press conferences. Shedeur has to bend over backward to make the media feel comfortable and that’s not hard for him because he has proved that he can humble himself, work hard, keep his head down AND win games the team isn’t supposed to win. He’s also way more sociable than Watson, and I’d bet my last dollar that he’s nurtured a better relationship with the players and the coaches than Watson has ever had since he signed in 2022.
Fans Are Triggered By Watson’s Comments After Week 1 Blowout Loss
Watson’s comments sent social media into a firestorm. Coming at the media is one way to make sure you go viral – but for all the wrong reasons.
“Nah, he is missing the point, it’s been 23 months since he has actually touch the field, he needs to act like he wants to win, his non chalant attitude is digging a deep whole in a deeper financial commitment they made to him,” one fan complained.
Onyx Odd’s X account dropped a fun fact about Watson that makes his comments look even more questionable.
A caption above an X post by an NFL source of Watson’s post conference comments read, “Deshaun Watson hasn’t thrown for 200 yds + 2 TD in the same game since Joe Biden was president.”
Added one netizen on X:
“This dudes PR team is failing him. Some times it’s best to just keep your mouth closed. You’re already sensitive but giving the media fuel to assail you with. If I got the bag after jack–g off on my massage therapist, I’d understand that throwing 5 TDs and winning is the only way to keep them off your a–.”
“Watson got paid like a top-5 arm and now wants credit for not being asked to be Mahomes every Sunday. That contract didn’t come with a media soft landing,” said one fan.
“Nah, how about throw for a couple of TDs and minimize the interceptions with an occasional break out game to start,” another fan quipped on X.
The Facts About Deshaun Watson: His Last 300-Yard Passing Game Was In 2021
Whether you are a fan of Deshaun Watson or can’t stand to watch him casually blow off his diminished play, here are the facts:
He has not reached the 300-yard passing mark in any game since joining the Browns. His last one was in 2021 against the Tennessee Titans (365 yards).
He has only passed for 250 or more yards twice in his Cleveland career.
His highest passing yards in a game as a Cleveland QB is 289 on September 24, 2023 against the Titans.
The reality of the situation makes his comments sound even more delusional. He’s been milking the Browns for years and he isn’t sorry for it. At this point, it doesn’t seem as if he even takes the franchise seriously.
Shedeur Sanders Is Simply A Better Option RIght Now
Watson’s last 300-yard passing game was six years ago. Let’s get real for a second. It took Shedeur coming off the bench with no preparation, just three starts to surpass that mark. Deion’s son dropped 364 passing yards, tossed three touchdowns and rushed for one more on December 7, 2025. He confidently threw the ball 42 times – not all dink and dunk stuff. That breakthrough performance – better than any game Watson has had in over a half decade earned Shedeur Sanders NFL Rookie of the Week honors, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the starting job.
