Jerry Jeudy got himself into a bit of hot water recently when he apparently shared his opinion during a livestream. While thousands of fans watched, Jeudy allegedly suggested that he’d prefer Deshaun Watson as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback in 2026.
As expected, fans and the media jumped all over Jeudy, and it created a minor firestorm. Speaking on Say What Needs To Be Said, former NFL star Asante Samuel talked about why Jeudy would choose Watson over Sanders as QB1.
According to Samuel, Watson would take some of the pressure off of Jeudy, who hasn’t been living up to expectations lately.
“Jerry Jeudy is getting in the way of Shedeur Sanders being great. He threw up the four, right? Everyone is assuming that he’s talking about Deshaun Watson is his choice for starting quarterback. I don’t know how you hide from this one. He’s on damage control currently, right now, trying to explain that that’s not what he meant. He definitely wants Deshaun Watson to be the quarterback. It’s all starting to make sense. Sabotaging that’s been going on. Dropping the passes. Acting like Shedeur is doing what he’s supposed to do. That puts the pressure on people like Jerry Jeudy and the wide receiver position. Some people can’t handle pressure like others. Pressure really bust pipes. I don’t understand Jerry Jeudy’s perspective. Why would he want Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders?” Samuel said.
Asante Thinks Jerry Jeudy Doesn’t Want To Deal With The Pressure Having Shedeur Sanders As The Starting QB pic.twitter.com/mLjvhZW0Hx
— Say What Needs To Be Said (@saywhatneedsto) July 27, 2026
Last season, Sanders was finding his footing and adjusting to being the Browns’ starting quarterback. That led to some tough pressure and questionable choices on the field. All of that put more pressure on the wide receiver corps, including Jeudy. Dropped passes and missed opportunities followed.
According to Samuel, Jeudy doesn’t want to deal with all of that. He would much rather play with a quarterback like Watson, someone who brings more experience and stability. That could lead to a better performance from Jeudy, or so he thinks.
Jeudy has pushed back after the clip went viral and said he wasn’t going to weigh in on Todd Monken’s choice. Instead, he stated that he is going to focus on doing his job and what he can control.
But this clip will definitely resurface when the Browns announce who will lead the team’s offense.
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