At this point, jokes practically write themselves when it comes to Deshaun Watson. Whether it’s the QB not living up to his $239 million guaranteed contract or his off-field legal troubles, the Browns star has been mocked, ridiculed, and turned into a walking meme. But rather than fight it, it seems Watson has adopted a new approach—lean into it.
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An example of this was seen in Watson’s latest Instagram post, where he showed off his offseason grind by posting multiple snaps from the Browns’ gymnasium. But it wasn’t the standard workout pics that caught the NFL world’s attention. It was one very specific image—Watson, casually lying on a massage table.
Yes. It seems like he went there. And to stir the pot even further, the former Texans star paired the post with a cryptic caption: “Maybe, if I weren’t built for this, I’d let it phase me…”
While it’s hard to gauge who this caption is aimed at, one can make an educated guess by looking at the timing of the post.
Deshaun Watson uploaded these images on the social media site right after Browns owner Jimmy Haslam publicly admitted that the team’s blockbuster trade for the QB was a “big swing and miss.”
With Watson still recovering from a season-ending injury and $170 million still left on his fully guaranteed contract, it was the first time Haslam openly acknowledged that the deal hadn’t worked out as planned.
So, was the quarterback sending a message to his critics? Or was it the Browns star simply channeling the NBA Youngboy in him and hustling through difficulties?
It’s these varying interpretations that have got the Browns star’s Instagram post over 15,000 likes and 2000+ shares. Though Watson disabled his comments section for the masses, the NFL community on “X” had a field day reacting to QB’s images.
TRENDING: #Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson posted a photo of himself on a massage table, which has gone viral. pic.twitter.com/Z8rh8dc4u5
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 2, 2025
Most fans were unsurprisingly baffled to see Watson associate himself with a massage table after all the legal turmoil he’s been through. “Bro lacks all self awareness,” wrote one user on “X”. “I hope he didn’t do it on purpose,” chimed in another.
A few, however, couldn’t understand why Deshaun Watson’s Instagram post went viral. Yes, one can joke and correlate the QB and massage tables, but if one looks clearly at the photos, all of them were taken at the Browns facility in Ohio. For them, Watson was simply focusing on his workouts and recovery.
“People like to say anything. This is the Browns training room,” argued a Browns fan.
“As much as I support 4 this sh*t… people taking the most random shit and making it a big deal? I’m glad this just about over man… the man in the training facility recovering,” noted another.
Whether Watson meant it as a statement, a joke, or both, one thing is clear—he’s not shying away from the conversation. He’s embracing it. And as the internet has proven time and time again, that’s always a surefire way to go viral.
