Latest On Browns QB Deshaun Watson

The latest setback has been Watson’s Achilles. He tore it midway through last season, then suffered a setback and tore it again during his rehab. He had a second surgery on January 10, casting significant doubt on whether Watson will play at all in 2025.  

A foot and ankle specialist who works with NFL teams told ESPN that the normal recovery timeline for a quarterback who suffers a ruptured Achilles tendon would be about nine to 10 months, yet this timeline is now considered to be significantly impacted after the re-tear. 

“Anytime you have to go back in somewhere, it changes the ball game a little bit … typically that means slower recovery in the beginning and a longer overall recovery, and the clock starts back over,” the specialist said via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. “So, now you’re looking at closer to 10 months to a year. I mean, it’s nine months again, if you’re lucky…Expectations for the recovery period for multiple tears need to be tamped down a little bit. I would say there’s … a likelihood that he doesn’t play [in 2025] than he does from a medical standpoint. That’s not including what the team might want to do with him in terms of whether they would risk him playing, if they’re going to move on from him. The question becomes, is he going to be ready if you really are eight games into the season, and then at that point, is it worth it?”

Even without the injury, Watson would have been on shaky ground in 2025. When he’s been on the field the past three seasons, he’s looked almost nothing like the player the Browns thought they were acquiring with a massive trade. The fully guaranteed contract limits Cleveland’s exit strategy options but it’s possible they could release him in 2026 — which means Watson has possibly played his last snap for the Browns. 

Team owner Jimmy Haslam was asked at the league’s annual meetings if the team has an exit strategy for Watson’s massive contract.

“The contract’s the contract, and I would just restate what we said earlier: We need to see what Deshaun’s health situation is before we make a decision,” Haslam said.

“I think doctors are confident that he can return from injury,” Haslam noted. “But you got to do it, you know what I mean?”

If the Browns do end up moving on from Watson, opinions seem to be mixed on what could happen regarding a second chance for his career.

“If released, I don’t see anyone picking him up,” an NFC executive told ESPN. “And then, down the road, the question will be, will he take low-QB money? Would he even be motivated to play at that point?”

“The league is forgiving with quarterbacks that have exhibited high-level talent,” one agent said. “There is a shortage of good QB play. That’s why I think a team could take a chance on him if he proves healthy. Some owners could have a problem with that because of the past, but not all.”

Watson, 29, was taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Clemson by the Texans. He signed a four-year, $13.854 million rookie deal with the Texans that included a fifth-year option of around $17.3 million for the 2021 season.

The Texans later signed Watson to a four-year extension worth as much as $177 million heading into the 2020 season, paying him $39 million a year. However, Watson requested a trade after the season, then sat out the entire 2021 season while navigating more than two dozen lawsuits for sexual misconduct. He was later suspended for 11 games. 

Watson was traded to the Browns for significant draft compensation in 2022 and signed a five-year, $230 million, fully guaranteed contract as part of the trade. The deal runs through 2026 and includes base salaries of $46 million in each of the final two seasons. 

In 2024, Watson appeared in seven games for the Browns and completed 63.4 percent of his pass attempts for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He added 31 carries for 148 yards and another score.

We will have more on Watson and the Browns as it becomes available.