Deshaun Watson is expected to remain with the Cleveland Browns in 2025, but questions are now being raised about whether he will be cleared to play.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry revealed during his end-of-season press conference on Monday that Watson recently experienced a setback with the quarterback’s recovery from a torn Achilles. Berry said the team was just informed of the news on Sunday, so he did not provide further details.
“Yesterday, as we went through our normal player medical process, we did learn that he did have a setback in his Achilles recovery,” Berry told reporters. “We don’t have all the details and everything yet, but it will obviously extend the recovery process for him. It is new information. We just learned it in the past couple hours, so I don’t have everything yet.”

AB gives an update on Deshaun Watson pic.twitter.com/2JcO5BGcqz
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 6, 2025
Watson tore his Achilles in Cleveland’s Oct. 20 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He underwent surgery less than a week later.
Watson signed a fully guaranteed 5-year, $230 million contract after the Browns acquired him in a trade with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2022 season. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback recently agreed to a contract restructure with the team.
The Browns have gone just 9-19 in Watson’s starts since he joined the team. He served an 11-game suspension in 2022 and only played in six games last season due to a shoulder injury.
Since joining the Browns, Watson has passed for 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.