Deshaun Watson has his money. He got that when Cleveland gave him a record $230 million guaranteed contract in a desperate attempt to capitalize off his legal battles while other teams were leery to sign him and awaiting the fallout of the 26 lawsuits that were filed against him for alleged sexual misconduct against various massage therapists back in 2021. Many wondered if he would even play in the NFL again.
Fast-forward to 2024, he’s got a beautiful and supportive wife, social media influencer Jilly Anais, so he’s regained some of the respect lost for his alleged misogynistic behavior.
He can’t, however, honestly say he’s regained his respect as a football player.
Watson served an 11-game suspension to start the 2022 season and in the 2023 campaign, Watson was only able to see action for six games after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
In two seasons with the Browns thus far, Watson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has passed for just 2,217 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions on a very mid 59.8 percent completion rate. The production hasn’t matched the salary, but hopes are high that this is the year he regains the form that he had with the Houston Texans, when he was a dual-threat dynamo and considered a top 5 QB in the NFL.
Mike Golic Doesn’t Know If Deshaun Watson Will Ever Regain All-Pro Form
There are those who doubt that Watson will ever be that player again.
During an appearance on 92.3 The Fan’s “Afternoon Drive” show, Mike Golic, who played in the NFL back in the 1980s and 1990s, expressed doubt about Watson’s chances of becoming an elite signal-caller again.
“Everybody is waiting for Deshaun Watson to get back to what he was; I don’t know if he’s ever going to get there, quite honestly,” Golic said.
That statement is a nightmare if you’re GM Andrew Berry and Cleveland, who have assembled a strong team that many believe could make a dark horse run to the Super Bowl if Watson can get back on track.
The prevailing thought was that all of the people against signing Watson would soon forget his past if he performed to the level of the deal he signed.
Deshuan Watson Angers Fans By Playing The Victim
That hasn’t happened and, in fact, fans are suggesting that he is playing the victim to deflect from the fact that he hasn’t lived up to the hype, while also refusing to accept responsibility for his previous actions.
When asked by a reporter how he’s handled things over the past couple of years since his suspension, Watson said it’s been “tough to block out the bulls**t.”
Of course Watson was referring to the lawsuits.
When his quote surfaced on social media, several fans let him have it.
“Guy is a scumbag,” tweeted one fan. “He actually believes he’s the victim because he still doesn’t think he did anything wrong. He’s a garbage human being. Makes me sick to see how many Browns fans continue to defend this clown. We had a real leader and morons ran him out of town.”
“He’s made over 90 million dollars, produced 12 ta 13 TDs over two seasons, got an offensive coordinator fired, and been outplayed on his own team by J Brissett and J Flacco. BS indeed. DW just wants the national media to kiss his feet like the Cle media has.”
Some Cleveland Browns fans blame the Browns PR for not handling Watson’s public image and connection with the Browns fan base. That loyal group is growing increasingly frustrated with the quarterback who once threw for over 4800 yards and 33 TDS.
“Watson could teach a course in bad public relations,” one X user said.” And I don’t even care about his massage-related stuff. I’m just frustrated with him from the time he’s been here.”
Deshuan Watson Must Connect With Cleveland Browns Fans
So, the good news is that Watson is healthy, and the Browns added Jerry Jeudy this offseason to an already quality receiving corps with Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and David Njokum, and Watson can still run.
The bad news is that his connection with Cleveland Browns fans is lukewarm. He hasn’t produced and he’s also blaming situations he created as a cause of stress on his current life, which they perceive as a lack of accountability and a guy who isn’t grateful for the chance the Browns organization and Cleveland fans have given him.
