Deshaun Watson, quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, has ruptured his Achilles tendon again and has been forced to undergo further surgery. The misfortune means that the new break occurred less than three months after the original injury, so there is already talk that the QB could miss the entire 2025 NFL season. The Browns general manager, Andrew Berry, did not want to get involved in this regard until he had all the necessary information on the player’s status.
Watson has played in just 19 of a possible 51 regular-season games since Cleveland acquired him from Houston in 2022 in exchange for a series of draft picks. The Browns put a fully guaranteed five-year contract on the table for $230 million. The 29-year-old was suspended 11 games in 2022 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. His case was very public, since 25 women he hired as masseuses accused him of sexual harassment and assault.
After returning from his suspension, Watson finished each of the last two seasons with injuries, in 2023 to his arm and shoulder, and in 2023 to his Achilles tendon. If he finally misses the entire year of 2025, he will have played only 19 games over five seasons – a possible 85 in the regular season – since the QB was out for the entire 2021 season with the Texans.
The Browns (3-14) can pick second in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, behind the Tennessee Titans (3-14).
