Cleveland Radio Host Loses His Cool After Fan Compares Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield

Not very demure, not very mindful.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson sits on the ground during a game vs. the Dallas Cowboys. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cleveland Browns fans wasted no time showering the team with boos during their 33-17 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the season-opener on Sunday. One of those fans felt like he needed to let out more steam and dialed into The Ken Carman Show on 92.3 The Fan, Cleveland’s sports radio station, the following day.

Radio host Ken Carman, who was discussing quarterback Deshaun Watson’s form on the morning segment, took the fan’s call. The phone exchange quickly turned ugly when Carman realized what point the fan was trying to make on-air.

“Two numbers, you’ll figure them out,” The fan said. “42.9. 144.”

“What is all this?” Carman asked.

“Watson’s quarterback rating, [Baker] Mayfield’s quarterback rating.”

Carman lost his temper and immediately started yelling at the fan. 

“Aw, Christ,” Carman said. “I can’t do this for one more second. No! That’s enough! That’s enough! ... Guys, I’m not doing it right out of the d--- box, can I have a little bit of time before we do this? Can I have a little bit of time? He ain’t coming home, he ain’t coming back! ... I can’t undo the trade. I can’t undo it!”

The first call on Cleveland sports talk radio this morning pic.twitter.com/Ef9dln5MjX

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) September 9, 2024

In the trade heard ‘round the world, the Browns gave up six draft picks—including three first-rounders—to the Houston Texans in exchange for Watson before signing the quarterback to a then-unprecedented fully guaranteed deal in 2022. Watson’s five-year, $230 million contract has aged quite poorly in the last two years, leading many to wonder what would have happened if Cleveland had simply reconciled with Baker Mayfield instead.

Since 2022, Mayfield has outplayed Watson across the board: the current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has racked up 6,496 passing yards to Watson’s 2,386 yards, 44 touchdowns to Watson’s 11 touchdowns, earned a 90.9 average QB rating to Watson’s 78.1 and helped lead the Bucs to the divisional round of the playoffs last year.

The script appears to favor Mayfield for the foreseeable future, with the 29-year-old veteran throwing for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns en route to Tampa Bay’s thrilling Week 1 win over the Washington Commanders. Watson, on the other hand, dragged his feet to the tune of yet another forgettable performance for the Browns, going 24-of-45 for 169 yards and recording one touchdown against two interceptions in Sunday’s defeat.

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