Watson will miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury that necessitates surgery, dealing a crushing blow to a 6-3 squad with a tough defense and postseason prospects.
The implications of the injury go far beyond this season.
Watson is owing $46 million over the next three years, for a cap hit of nearly $64 million per season. That’s a lot of money for a person who may be damaged goods.
“It’ll be a few months,” Watson said of his rehabilitation. “And the most important element is mobility and range of motion, and then strength and other factors will come into play. But I’ll be working with some amazing physicians and personnel who have previously dealt with this procedure with a lot of good baseball players to ensure that I come back even better than before.”
According to Browns general manager Andrew Berry, Watson is projected to be ready for the start of next season. However, a displaced fracture of the glenoid is not a common occurrence for quarterbacks, so it’s reasonable to be skeptical.
“Although it may be unusual for a quarterback with a throwing shoulder, the medical process moving forward is very clear to us,” Berry said in a statement.
“It’s quite evident to Deshaun and the doctors, and we’re extremely optimistic about him returning and playing at the level that we’re used to. Deshaun isn’t the only quarterback to experience a throwing shoulder injury, but it’s common in other positions as well. But he should make a good recovery.”
The Browns invested heavily in Watson out of desperation, thinking that the risky move would put an end to their decades-long hunt for a star quarterback.
They were willing to sell three first-round picks to Houston and had to offer Watson the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history to entice him to come to Cleveland.
