The Cleveland Browns had a very rough season, and their offseason is already off to a bad start. QB Deshaun Watson, who they traded the farm for a couple years ago, suffered a setback while working back from his achilles injury, according to GM Andrew Berry via the Browns’ account on X.
“Yesterday as we went through our normal player medical process, we did learn that he [Deshaun Watson] did have a setback in his Achilles recovery,” Berry said. “We don’t have all the details and everything yet, but it’ll obviously extend the recovery process for him. It is new information in the past couple hours, so I don’t have everything yet.”
It remains to be seen how significant this setback was. The initial injury was suffered in Week 7 on Oct. 20, so it’s been about two and a half months since the injury occurred. He previously had a pretty good chance of returning for Week 1 of the 2025 season, but this setback could potentially put that at risk.
The Browns recently restructured his contract to help alleviate some of the salary cap (not cash flow) concerns with his massive guarantees given after the trade to acquire him in 2022. The restructure was about the void years on his contract. The Browns have paid Watson a crazy amount of money through three years of his contract considering how little he’s played.
He lost almost the entire 2022 season to a suspension before returning and going 3-3. He went 5-1 in 2023, but a shoulder injury ended his season. He then tore his Achilles after just seven games in 2023. The Browns gave him a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract after the trade. That runs through 2026 before the contract voids. The Browns also traded three first-round picks, and some other day two and three picks spread out over three years.
It is easily one of the biggest mistakes in NFL history in both the trade compensation and the contract given. Meanwhile, their former drafted QB, Baker Mayfield, is leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a second-consecutive postseason berth, including a win over the Philadelphia Eagles last year.
The Browns will have the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a couple notable quarterbacks possibly in play.
