Deshaun Watson’s season is over after tests confirmed the Cleveland Browns quarterback suffered a torn Achilles on Sunday.
The former Houston Texans star had tears in his eyes as he was carted off the field at Huntington Bank Field. He went down untouched and all signs pointed to an Achilles tear, with scans confirming the diagnosis on Monday, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Watson, 29, will not play again this season, and his future with the Browns is decidedly unclear after poor performances through the opening seven weeks of the campaign.
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Watson went down on the first snap after the two-minute warning before half time after appearing to hyperextend his leg with no Bengals defenders in the area. He was replaced first by backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who struggled and was later benched for Jamies Winston in a 21-14 defeat.
“Disappointed for [Watson],” head coach Kevin Stefanski said after Sunday’s defeat. “Any of our guys that you lose, you’re disappointed because you know much this means to them and how hard they work. It’s tough.”
Former first-round pick Watson joined the Browns in a highly controversial trade in 2022. He had been one of the league’s rising stars with the Texans until sitting out the entirety of the 2021 season amid allegations Watson sexually harassed or sexually assaulted more than 20 massage therapists.
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He denied any wrongdoing and the lawsuits were settled out of court. In March 2022, a grand jury declined to indict Watson on charges related to “harassment or sexual misconduct”.
A week later, he was traded to the Browns in return for a package including three first-round picks. Watson signed a five-year, $230 million deal – the largest contract in NFL history – upon joining the Browns.
But his time in Ohio has been an unmitigated disaster. He missed the first 11 games of the 2022 season and was fined $5m after being suspended by the NFL over the sexual misconduct claims.
Since returning to the field, he has a 9-10 record with the Browns, with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has missed time through injury across his two-and-a-half years with the Browns, but his performances when he has been on the field have been distinctly below average.
His season concludes with the Browns at 1-6, tied for the worst record in the NFL. In seven starts, he accounted for just five passing touchdowns against three interceptions, with a lowly passer rating of 79.
Watson is set to earn $46m guaranteed in each of the 2025 and 2026 seasons, meaning it will be hugely impactful on the Browns’ salary cap situation were they to part ways with Watson before the end of his contract.
According to Cleveland.com, Watson is considering two surgical options to repair the injury. He has the choice of a standard repair or the innovative “speed bridge” method that was performed on New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers after he suffered the same injury in Week 1 last year.
But regardless of what option Watson chooses, he will not be back on the field for a long time. And how his career prospects look when he returns is murky, to say the least.
