Deshaun Watson: Boos are a disrespectful thing, has nothing to do with performance

Published August 22, 2026 05:44 PM Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said this week that he didn’t care about how fans reacted to him during Saturday’s home preseason game, but he appeared to be a bit rankled when asked at a postgame press conference about the boos that greeted his entry to the game in the third quarter. Watson was making his first appearance in a home game since he tore his Achilles in 2024 and he heard those boos before he took his first snap. They continued while he went 5-of-12 for 36 yards and an interception in a 31-7 loss to the Bills. “I didn’t have no reaction,” Watson said. “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. I’m gonna keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally with how I feel about that and move on.”Browns head coach Todd Monken said in his own press conference that “everybody will be fine” if Watson plays good football while helping the Browns win games, but Watson reiterated his disagreement with the idea that the booing is tied to performance when asked if he agreed with that sentiment. “Last time I played on this field I tore my Achilles. That same fan base 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?”Watson signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract after being traded to the Browns ahead of the 2022 season and he’s played poorly in 19 starts since joining the club. It remains to be seen if he will get to No. 20 in Week 1 — Monken declined to name a starter after Saturday’s game — but it seems like a safe bet that the reaction won’t be a terribly warm one if he takes the field for the Browns’ home opener in Week 3.