Boo, that man! Browns fans turn against Deshaun Watson before halftime as quarterback returns

The Cleveland Browns front office drafted Baker Mayfield in the first round a few years ago. Mayfield gave his heart to the city and his team, winning games, leading them to the playoffs and defeating the Ben Roethlisberger-led Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Browns will remain the Browns.

Cleveland decided to bench Mayfield when the opportunity arose to trade quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans. However, Watson was faced with dozens of allegations of sexual harassment when Cleveland decided to turn its back on Mayfield.

Ultimately, the Browns would make a very questionable trade for the controversial quarterback. They sent a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 third-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick. Houston traded Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick. Cleveland also signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract that is fully guaranteed after the trade.

It's important to remember that Watson was never charged with a crime due to a lack of evidence, but the allegations alone did quite a bit of damage to his reputation and resulted in him being booed every time he stepped onto the field.

Now it is his performance on the field that is earning him booing, not just the heinous crimes he is accused of.

It took less than a half for Browns fans to turn their backs on Watson and the rest of the Cleveland offense in 2024.

Before the game, the Browns were three-point favorites against the Dallas Cowboys. When the teams went to the locker room for halftime, Cleveland trailed 20-3 after totaling 54 yards of offense.

Watson has been the focus of boos since the first allegations emerged. Cleveland's “franchise quarterback” completed 7 of 15 passes for 36 yards and one interception in the first half.

Myles Garrett and the defense are doing their best, but Watson just doesn't give Cleveland a chance to keep up.

Before the game, Watson's problems in Cleveland were attributed to his health issues. He couldn't stay healthy. But now he's healthy again and he's running out of excuses.

Cleveland has mortgaged his future and guaranteed Watson six figures. He still has some time left on his contract, but given the state of the Browns and Texans, this is shaping up to be one of the most lopsided trades in recent NFL history.