Deshaun Watson proved he doesn't really want to stick with the Browns

It had been 671 days since Deshaun Watson suited up for the Cleveland Browns at home. If he wins the team's quarterback job, the disgraced signal-caller feels might have to get used to hostile environments, even if he's playing in familiar territory at Huntington Bank Field.

The Browns sent three first-round picks to the Houston Texans to acquire Watson in March 2022, then showered him with a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million deal, even after over two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.

Last year, Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam labeled the swap for Watson "a big swing-and-miss." Watson had torn his Achilles twice and underwent to surgeries before getting back on the field. Not that fans factored the comeback effort into his performance.

"It's a mental battle every day," Watson said after Saturday's preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills. "I feel like I get more love (during) road games than I do home games, so if it is my spot ... maybe it's 17 away games then. I don't know."

Where does Deshaun Watson's relationship with Browns fans stand?

Watson, who was loudly booed by fans during the second half of the exhibition defeat, isn't sure if he can quell the negativity that detractors bring on game days and on social media. Those grouped in surely weren't happy that he completed 5-of-12 passes for 35 yards and an interception on the day. As he battles with second-year signal-caller Shedeur Sanders for the starting role, it wasn't what anyone around the team preferred to see.

Watson said he doesn't regret how things have unfolded in Cleveland, though he did have "different thoughts on how it was gonna be, but it is what it is," he said. In May, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Watson wasn't "against staying in Cleveland beyond 2026 if things go well."

"I didn't have (any) reaction," Watson said of his thoughts on the jeers. "I think the biggest thing is — I think you guys know, too, and I think the whole world knows — it has nothing to do about the performance. It's a little bit (more) personal than that. I think that's a disrespectful thing, so I'm gonna keep whatever I feel with me and my family, internally, on how I feel about that, and, yeah, just move on."

Watson was asked if he thought that winning or playing better would quiet disgruntled fans. Before suffering the injury, he had one of the lowest Total QBRs in the league and hadn't at all lived up to the lofty expectations that come with such a rich contract.

"Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles, and that same fanbase, they cheered when I got hurt," Watson said. "What does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city, and they cheer?"

Going after the Browns' fans isn't going to make it any easier. Maybe don't be as honest next time?

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