Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson re-tore his injured Achilles, a significant setback that could cost him his entire 2025 season and NFL future beyond that. Multiple reports Friday indicated that was the setback the Browns announced Watson suffered earlier this month, a worst-case scenario that has him hitting the reset button on his recovery.
Watson first tore his Achilles in October against the Cincinnati Bengals. He began rehabbing with the hope of either being cleared for the start of the 2025 season or some point midway through it, a reasonable timetable for such an injury. Now, he’s starting over after tearing the Achilles again. As Rapoport’s tweet notes, Watson underwent surgery yesterday to repair it.
The Browns shared a tweet confirming the news, noting Watson complained of pain during his exit physical. Further examination revealed the tear.
Speaking with reporters following the Browns’ regular-season finale, GM Andrew Berry said Deshaun Watson had a setback in his recovery though declined to detail the specific issue. Even he seemed unsure of the details.
“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 on Jan. 6. “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.”
In what’s become arguably the worst trade in sports history, Deshaun Watson has been a PR nightmare, a poor quarterback on the field, and a massive financial anchor on the Browns’ salary cap. Now he is dealing with a devastating injury scenario some players never recover from.
Cleveland’s intent wasn’t to enter 2025 with Watson as its starter. But a December contract restructure ensured he’d be with the team through at least 2026. It sounds like there’s a good chance Watson will spend all of next year on an injured list and try to return healthy in 2026.
