Deshaun Watson Achilles Injury Contract Implications

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a right Achilles injury during a noncontact play in Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The extent of the injury and for how long it will keep Watson off the field aren’t known, but the injury occurs amid intense media focus on the $230 million contract Watson signed in 2022.

Watson’s injury happened while he was carrying the ball. He fell to the ground and was soon carted off the field. 

The former Houston Texans superstar has struggled for the last place Browns (1-6) in 2024. Watson, 29, is ranked 31^st—i.e., last—for adjusted total QB ratings of statistically qualified players. 

It’s also been a tumultuous season for Watson off-the-field. Last month, a woman in Texas who was identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe sued him for sexual assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from an alleged incident in 2020. A couple of weeks ago Watson reached an out-of-court settlement with the accuser.

Watson’s employment contract is not a public document. However, Sports Illustrated reported it had obtained a copy of the contract and revealed the deal contains provisions that could empower the Browns to terminate the contract for off-field misconduct. But the recent settlement in the Jane Doe case, which contains confidentiality features, would make it more difficult for the NFL—which two years ago suspended Watson for 11 games and fined him $5 million for conduct detrimental—to obtain the requisite evidence and testimony to justify punishing Watson or for the Browns to attempt to void the deal.

With the important caveat that Watson’s contract is not available for review, contractual guarantees are generally paid out if a player remains on a roster or is cut due to injury. With recent advancements in medicine and rehabilitative treatments, this generation’s NFL players can often recover from Achilles injuries—Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins are two prominent QBs who came back from that type of injury, but not before missing significant playing time. Watson’s guarantees will likely continue as he recovers from his Achilles injury.

As Sportico recently explained in discussing Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffering another concussion, guarantees can be jeopardized if a player retires after being medically cleared to play.