Just days after Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed that quarterback Deshaun Watson had suffered a setback in his recovery from an Achilles rupture, reports have revealed what exactly wen sideways for the embattled QB.
Watson, reportedly, tore the Achilles again, and had a second surgery to repair the ailment on Thursday. Undergoing the procedure for a second time will set back Watson's recovery timeline immensely, three months into the initial rehab, and leaves his status for the entirety of the 2025 campaign in serious doubt.
An official statement from the team labeled his absence as one that would likely see him miss "significant time" next season:
"Yesterday, Deshaun Watson underwent a second surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon rupture. Watson initially tore the tendon during the Browns' Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 20. His first surgery was performed on Oct. 25. Earlier this week, when Watson reported to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus for his exit physical as part of the Browns' season-ending process, he complained of discomfort after rolling his ankle in Miami. MRI results demonstrated a re-rupture to his Achilles tendon. Dr. Bob Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in Charlotte, NC, performed both surgeries. Watson's recovery time and return to play status is uncertain, and he will likely miss significant time during the 2025 season.
The 29-year-old QB first suffered the injury in Week 7 of the season during an eventual 21-14 loss to AFC North rival Cincinnati. His exit from that game was marred by a controversial reaction by some fans, who seemed to celebrate that a new QB was taking over for the Browns. The scene became a darker inflection point for the season as a whole, and one that sparked plenty of emotional responses from Watson's teammates afterwards.
This setback also thickens the plot as it relates to the Browns pursuit of other QB options this offseason. Berry said in his end of season press conference on Monday that the expect the quarterback room to "look different" from this past season.
The nature of Watson's contract makes it impossible to part ways with the controversial QB this offseason, but now, it's likely he'll spend the entire 2025 campaign on the IR, while Berry and company look to build a QB room that likely won't have him involved in any capacity.
After next season, it's unclear what the future holds for Watson as a member of the Browns. Prior to the end of the season, Berry restructured Watson's deal, adding several more voided years on the back end of it to help spread out some of the money owed to Watson over the next two seasons, while he's still under contract.
That move is likely to be followed by a conversion of some a good portion of Watson's $46 million base salary figure into a signing bonus that can then be prorated over the length of the contract, including those additional voided years. It's a maneuver that would help free up some cap space for Cleveland to utilize this offseason, while shifting some of the financial burden of Watson's contract into later years.
There is another financial component to this as well, in that the Browns reportedly insured over $44 million of Watson's 2025 salary for injury. That should come with some sort of insurance credit back to the team, providing some additional cap relief for the franchise.
In three seasons with Cleveland, Watson has played in just 19 games due to various injuries and an initial 11-game suspension in 2022 for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. He's posted a 9-10 record over that span, while completing 61% of his passes for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
