Former Clemson quarterback and current Cleveland Brown Deshaun Watson has reportedly torn his Achilles tendon for the second time in 12 weeks. That news is devastating for Watson who has seen his star fade significantly due to both on and off-field developments in recent years.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that Watson tore the tendon for a second time while rehabilitating as he tried to work his way back from the initial tear which occurred on October 20, 2024. Given that the typical recovery time for that injury is 9-12 months, it is now feared that Watson could be out for all of 2025.
"As we went through our normal player medical process, we did learn that he did have a setback in his Achilles recovery," Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry told the media on Friday. "We don't have all the details and everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him. It is new information just learned in the past couple of hours, so I don't have everything yet."
Browns QB Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles again, could miss all of 2025. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/Ul9sDoPNyw
— NFL (@NFL) January 10, 2025
Now, questions abound concerning Watson's future in Cleveland or the NFL in general. After all, he was not exactly playing at a high level prior to first suffering this injury.
In the seven games he played in 2024, he threw for just 1,148 yards and five touchdowns with three picks. As Cleveland went just 1-6 in those games, Watson did not have a 200-yard passing day leading many Browns fans to question whether or not he is the right player to lead the franchise forward.
Now, those concerns are only going to be amplified. The problem, though, is that Watson has a massive fully guaranteed contract.
However, late last month, the Browns and Watson agreed to restructure his deal. As part of that restructure, the Browns took out insurance on Watson's contract, so if he misses all of 2025, the team would get some financial relief from the $46 million in salary that he's owed for next season.
Of course, the Browns must also figure out if it would be wise to bring in another QB to be their starter for 2025 and beyond. Cleveland owns the No. 2 pick in April's NFL Draft meaning they are in prime position to draft a top quarterback prospect.
If they decide to go that route, it might signal the end of Watson's time as Cleveland's starter. What's more, with two Achilles tears now in his immediate past, it is fair to wonder if other NFL franchises might be fearful of giving Watson a shot to be their starter once he is cleared to return to the field.
Watson will turn 30 in September so he should have plenty of good years left in the league. What's more, we've recently seen older quarterbacks such as Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons and Aaron Rogers of the New York Jets return from Achilles tears in less than 12 months to be ready to play in week one of 2024. However, neither of those players looked as effective after the injury as he looked before.
Could that be the case for Watson after two tears? What's more, he's never played more than seven games in a season since joining the Browns in 2022 meaning he hasn't provided much value to the franchise.
Watson's career was already at a bit of a crossroads with him needing to return to his pre-Cleveland form in 2025. Now, he might not get that opportunity and it is fair to wonder if this injury could signal the end of this time as a starter in the NFL.