With controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson getting the starting job over the young Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns have been facing an outcry from fans and some in the media about that choice. Some agents of NFL players, though, think the fans will likely get what they want in the end. NFL writer Ben Standig spoke to 24 agents on the condition of anonymity to get their unfiltered thoughts on the league, and one agent was confident that Sanders will be the quarterback in Cleveland sooner rather than later.
The key, the agent told Standig, is that "front offices can be manipulated by the media and public perception." "Fans don’t realize how much that influences the system internally," the agent said. In this case, what appears to be a very unpopular decision. is actually one made with the public's sentiment in mind. Instead, it's essentially using Watson to create a problem, which can then be solved by replacing him with Sanders.
"The Browns aren’t starting Deshaun Watson because he is better than Shedeur Sanders," the agent said. "Watson starts the first two games on the road, where he won’t get booed as badly. If he’s good, fans will find him more tolerable when they return home.
If he stinks, they go to Sanders. They couldn’t do the reverse because the response to benching Sanders for Watson, with his baggage, would be ear-splitting." It's remarkable to think that a player would get booed more at home than on the road, but that's exactly what's happening with the Browns. It's to the point that even head coach Todd Monken has had to address the public animus toward Watson and state that he's "absolutely not" bothered by it.
"Would I prefer that we would all be on the same page? Yeah, but that has nothing to do with my decision, and it can never have anything to do with my decision.
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