Deshaun Watson is the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback again, and their passionate fan base made their feelings brutally clear when they taped signs of protest right on the statue of Browns legend Jim Brown.
The Outcry Hits Cleveland’s Streets
Todd Monken’s announcement confirming Watson as the starter truly set off a powder keg. Anti-Browns messages popped up all over Cleveland, specifically aimed at Watson and team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Can you imagine the frustration boiling over so much that fans are directly calling out the people at the top? It’s a statement. Signs were plastered right on the iconic Jim Brown statue in front of Browns Stadium. Browns staff later removed those protest signs. Talk about a public display of anger. It just screams how disenchanted this fan base has become.
Decades of Heartbreak, Now This Quarterback?
Honestly, their frustration is totally understandable. These fans have been through it. We’re talking about a franchise whose last championship win was way back in 1964 with Jim Brown and his teammates. Think about that: 62 years without a title. They suffered through three gut-wrenching playoff losses in the 1980s. Then, the ultimate betrayal: the team moving to Baltimore in 1996. And since the team’s return in 1999, it’s delivered only a disastrous, soul-crushing run of futility. They haven’t won a division title since 1989, scraping together just three playoff wins over that entire span. This century alone? Just one playoff win, and only two playoff appearances. Now, after all that, they’re being subjected to watch a quarterback who *criticized their treatment of him* after a dismal performance in a preseason loss to Buffalo. Adding insult to injury, Watson, who’s 31, is playing over Shedeur Sanders. Sanders is immensely popular in Cleveland, and he possesses a much higher ceiling. It’s a tough pill to swallow.
So, what’s next for these long-suffering fans? If there’s any silver lining in Cleveland, it’s that there’s a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. That light comes in the form of Watson’s expiring contract. The source says it pretty clearly: it “all but guarantees” he will no longer be on the team at the end of the 2026 season. So for Cleveland fans, the immediate future might be painful, but they can at least look forward to a fresh start after this season wraps up. Will that finally quiet the protests? We’ll have to watch and see.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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