While the NFL season is just one week underway, fans have seemed to put a debate to rest regarding the Cleveland Browns quarterback. The Browns put the entire future of the franchise in the hands of Deshaun Watson. In hindsight, and foresight, that was a grave mistake.
To make matters worse they had a savior for the future before Watson, and that was Baker Mayfield. NFL fans have taken to social media to point out just how bad of a decision it was to move on from Baker to Watson.
Cleveland Browns Are Back To Poverty
![NFL Fans All Have An Easy Answer To The Debate of Baker Mayfield Vs. Deshaun Watson 1 NFL](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_23969311_168410494_lowres-300x200.webp)
Baker was a No. 1 overall pick, once upon a time by the Browns. He then went on to lead them to their first playoff appearance and win in decades. Just years prior to Mayfield being picked by Cleveland, that team was the worst in the NFL every single year.
Baker was actually their savior and they moved on from him to give the keys to the castle to Watson. Not only that, but they gave Watson a $230 million contract which is absolutely comical at this point. Watson was dealing, and now is again, with heinous and serious issues off the field, but the Browns did not care.
Now, that decision looks like one of the worst in league history. Not only was Watson booed after every play of the second half of week 1, by his own fans, but he has been a shell of a quarterback for years now. Watson has not looked like an actual quarterback since the year 2020. Every single year in Cleveland for Watson has been flat-out horrific from a football standpoint, let alone anything off the field.
To make this all that more poetic, Baker himself has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league in his resurgence with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker had one of the best years of any quarterback in the NFL last year and fought in the playoffs, and this year he looks like he’s picking right where he left off. Throwing for four touchdowns and playing flawless football in week 1.
It is truly amazing to see Baker succeed, and equally satisfying to see the Browns get what they paid for.
NFL Fans Are All In Agreement That Baker Mayfield Wins
![NFL Fans All Have An Easy Answer To The Debate of Baker Mayfield Vs. Deshaun Watson 2 Jul 25, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/USATSI_23821758-300x222.webp)
All fans are in agreement that Baker is the winner, and the Browns deserve to be the loser. Watson does not sniff how good Baker is today, and the Browns are in for an ugly year. The faith they put in Watson is truly shocking, and they have gotten exactly what they paid for – an awful “quarterback” and $230 million poorer.
Here are the best fan reactions to Baker’s rise and the Browns’ fall:
Deshaun Watson might be a terrible person, but he's also a terrible quarterback, and that's what really matters.
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) September 8, 2024
🚨HISTORIC: #Browns QB Deshaun Watson was 0 for 10 on passes 15+ yards in the air, via CBS.
It is the worst tracked game in NFL history.
SOME OF THE WORST THROWS YOU WILL EVER WATCH 👇
pic.twitter.com/z8wmzbSouP— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 9, 2024
Browns fans realizing how much time is left on Deshaun Watson’s contract
pic.twitter.com/43M3VlwBwv— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2024
Wow, not just Tyreek… Now Deshaun Watson was arrested while on his way to Cleveland Browns stadium. pic.twitter.com/6Ckwmlc0ic
— Zachary Smith (@ZacharySmithPGH) September 8, 2024
Billy this is Deshaun Watson. We gave up 3 first round picks for him and he makes $230 million fully guaranteed. His defect is that he’s really bad at playing quarterback pic.twitter.com/JvZx4EeNag
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 8, 2024
“Baker Mayfield becoming better than Deshaun Watson is only something that would happen to the Cleveland Browns,” a user joked.
“Baker Mayfield was better than Deshaun Watson then and he’s better than Deshaun Watson now,” another said.
“Baker Mayfield balling out in Tampa as soon as the Browns mortgaged their future with the Deshaun Watson $230,000,000 contract is fitting and hilarious,” Warren Sharp laughed.
“So you’re telling me the Cleveland Browns got rid of Baker Mayfield (who is playing fantastic right now) so they could throw away 230 MILLION dollars + SIX draft picks, and whatever future they had, for ‘Deshaun Watson,'” a fan asked.
“Seeing Deshaun stink up the joint and Baker have 4 TDs simultaneously is so poetic,” lindsey ok replied.
Related: Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson Faced Constant Boos After Every Incompletion in Week 1
![NFL Fans All Have An Easy Answer To The Debate of Baker Mayfield Vs. Deshaun Watson 3 NFL Cleveland Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Deshaun-Watson-2023-Headshot-USA-Today-300x169.webp)