On his way off the field, for likely the final time as the Browns’ starter, a teary-eyed Jacoby Brissett bear-hugged a team staffer right outside the end zone. He then slowly made his way toward the tunnel, glancing up at the remaining fans. They stood and cheered for him. He gestured to cheer back at them. The rain was falling steadily now, Cleveland was still just 4–7, and none of it mattered—to the fans or quarterback—in the euphoria of an overtime win.
One of the first things he saw in the locker room, when he picked up his phone, still in his pads, was a text message from Deshaun Watson, who will take his job as of this morning. Watson, on the final day of his suspension for sexual harassment and sexual assault, expressed his appreciation for the job Brissett did.
From the new QB1 to those rain-soaked fans to the other 52 guys in that locker room to Kevin Stefanski and his staff, an appreciation for Brissett is what tied everyone at FirstEnergy Stadium together Sunday, following Cleveland’s 23–17 upset of Tom Brady’s Bucs.
