“Not Living Up To It!”: Shannon Sharpe Goes Ballistic at $230,000,000 Contract Holder Deshaun Watson After Loss Against Steelers

Deshaun Watson had a good start to the season until he met the Steelers in Week 2 at Acrisure Stadium. The Browns lost to Coach Tomlin as the Steelers’ defense struck back on time in the fourth quarter. And after that loss, Shannon Sharpe started to raise the alarm on the QB’s market-setting $230,000,000 contract.

In his latest episode of ‘Club Shay Shay‘ podcast alongside Chad ‘Ochicinco’ Johnson, the former TE had nothing good to say about Watson. He seemed unimpressed with Deshaun’s inability to score against the Steelers’ defense in the fourth quarter which made him fire shots at his hefty contract.

Shannon Sharpe Criticizes Deshaun Watson After Steelers Loss

Shannon Sharpe is known for his no-nonsense analysis. Hence, he didn’t mince words while discussing the performance of Deshaun Watson with respect to his $230-million fully guaranteed contract. Sharpe’s frustration was evident as he pointed out Watson’s costly mistakes during the loss to the Steelers. He said to Ochocinco,

“Ocho, we got to have an open and honest conversation. That man has got a big contract, $230 million fully guaranteed. He threw a pick-six, he had a scooping score, and he threw another, and he had another fumble, and at some point in time, we can’t keep blaming it on rust. We can’t keep saying Ocho, ‘uh it’s early’. They paying this man too, he got that gargantuan contract.”

In response, Chad ‘Ocho’ Johnson provided a more tempered perspective. He pointed out to Sharpe that Watson’s contract was based on his exceptional 2020 season. Ocho explained to Sharpe,

“He has that gargantuan contract based on what he did in a season, wait two seasons ago. He hasn’t been able to play it full season yet. To say anything regarding the contract that he did get, he got it for what he did in the past. We’re in week two you ain’t played a whole year. You had six games last year”

Ocho acknowledged that Watson had missed playing time due to off-field issues and believed that it might take time for him to return to peak form. The stance by Ocho towards Deshaun Watson was bit of a contrast to the strong assessment by Shannon Sharpe.

Shannon Sharpe Wants Browns QB to Live Up to His Contract

Shannon Sharpe has been a harsh critic of Deshaun Watson so far this season. The retired NFL veteran questioned Ocho whether Watson was living up to his massive $230 million fully guaranteed contract? He said to Chad Johnson, “What you’ve seen from Deshaun last year, and this year, is he living up to that payday? I like Deshaun too but Deshaun is not living up to it. There’s a reason why he plays the most important position in professional sports, because he touches the ball every single time, everything goes through him.”

Watson’s game against the Steelers didn’t meet the lofty standards set by his contract. Despite offseason promises of improvement, Watson has certainly left fans wanting for more. In Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Watson was seen struggling with accuracy. He completed just 55 percent of his passes, threw an interception, and fumbled twice.

These numbers are far from what anyone would expect from one of the highest-paid players in NFL. The Cleveland Browns QB would be thinking of turning his way around and fulfilling his potential so that he can well and truly justify his $230 million contract.