Report: Browns' Deshaun Watson 'Determined' to Play in NFL After 2nd Achilles Injury

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is "determined to make a comeback" after suffering a second tear to his right Achilles tendon, according to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot.

Cabot reported that Watson is "making good progress again" and "in a good headspace" with the injury likely to sideline him for all of 2025.

Plenty of NFL players have come back from major Achilles injuries, with Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers two recent examples at just the quarterback position. And when Watson is still getting a $46 million fully guaranteed base salary in 2026, he has little incentive to walk away before then.

However, it's fair to wonder what kind of role will be waiting for the three-time Pro Bowler when he's healthy enough to play again.

Aside from the injuries that limited him to 13 appearances between 2023 and 2024, Watson has been a shell of his old self ever since he was traded to the Browns. He has averaged 177.1 passing yards per game with an 80.7 QB rating in Cleveland.

Watson was the NFL's leading passer in 2020 with 4,823 yards and had 33 touchdowns to seven interceptions. The decline has been rapid and it may be permanent when factoring in his torn Achilles and earlier shoulder surgery.

Watson's contract makes it tough for the Browns to cut him, even when he'll have one year remaining. A post-June 1 release next offseason would carry dead money hits of $72.9 million in 2026 and $26.9 million in 2027.

There's nothing stopping Cleveland from making the 29-year-old the highest-paid backup in NFL history, though. Should Cleveland use the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft on Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or Miami's Cam Ward, it would signal a clear changing of the guard at quarterback, too.

Now picture Watson hitting the open market in 2027, when he may have gone two full seasons with seeing little to no action on the field.

It's premature to say Watson's career is over, but his long-term outlook is rather precarious.