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Deshaun Watson Achilles Injury: Shannon Sharpe Can Now Make Sense of the QB’s Call to Restructure His Guaranteed Contract

Samnur Reza
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Deshaun Watson and Shannon Sharpe

Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract signed in 2022, has become a disaster for the Cleveland Browns. They have restructured it multiple times to spread out the dead money and slowly pay off the burden. This had confused Shannon Sharpe, who questioned why a player would agree to such a restructure when the entire contract is guaranteed. However, Unc can now see why, after the QB suffered another Achilles injury that will sideline him for months.

On the latest episode of Nightcap, Sharpe presented a video for his co-host, Chad Johnson, to watch. It showed Deshaun “allegedly” (emphasis on allegedly) slow-dancing with his girlfriend 62 days after his Achilles surgery on October 25.

At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary in how the QB was dancing, dressed in normal attire. But Sharpe was perplexed why Watson wasn’t wearing a rehab-specific walking boot. He recalled that his former teammates used to wear them for over three months while rehabbing from an Achilles rupture.

“Ocho, what normally happens: I’ve had a lot of teammates that have ruptured their Achilles. They are normally in a boot for at least three months,” said Shannon.

Sharpe asserted that when someone is in a walking boot, it keeps the foot immobile and helps the tendon heal. He then went on to criticize Deshaun for being casual about his injury rehab.

“This is why, and Ocho, do you remember the conversation we had, and I’m like, ‘Why is he re-working his contract when he got guaranteed money?’ Now we know why,” said Sharpe.

Sharpe is possibly alleging that Watson could have re-ruptured his Achilles by not following the recovery protocols. He speculated that since the quarterback is about to miss the 2025 season, the restructuring of the contract became a necessity.

Deshaun also just played seven games in the 2024 season. The 2023 season was no different either. And Joe Flacco had led the team to the playoffs in that campaign.

Reacting to Sharpe’s take, Johnson wondered what the Browns would do next. With the draft approaching, perhaps they’ll go for a QB. Or, like the 2023 season, they might bring back Flacco, or maybe even Kirk Cousins. Only time will tell.

About the author

Samnur Reza

Samnur Reza

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Samnur Reza is an NFL editor for The SportsRush. He holds a degree in English Honors and joined The SportsRush editorial team in 2023. Having previously worked as a freelancer and several media outlets, Samnur has been religiously following the National Football League for the past six and a half years. Samnur first started following football after Tom Brady's cameo in Ted 2. It wasn’t long before he found himself grabbing a bucket of popcorn to enjoy football games. He still vividly remembers his first-ever fixture: a 2011 matchup between the Patriots and Raiders, where Brady led his team to a 31-19 victory. Even so, Samnur believes Brady’s best performance came against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, a game he still revisits from time to time. Samnur diligently follows most NFL athletes, their family members, and even the NCAA. Thus, he considers himself a diverse writer, having covered almost every corner of the football world. He does, however, have a special interest in athlete-centric stories. Whenever they engage in off-field ventures or charitable activities, Samnur enjoys reading and writing about them. Samnur had already authored over 1000 NFL-based articles before becoming an editor. His editorial journey began just a little over a year ago. Beyond football, Samnur is a true cinephile with an extensive repertoire of films. He’s also fond of cats and has a furry friend named ‘Eva.’ During his free time, Samnur enjoys playing video games, currently immersed in Demon's Souls. Having recently learned how to ride a bike, he now wishes to travel almost everywhere on it.

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