Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson underwent surgery Thursday after again tearing his right Achilles tendon, the team announced.

Watson’s “recovery time and return to playing status are uncertain, and he will likely miss significant time during the 2025 season,” the Browns said in a statement. Sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Watson’s recovery is expected to take at least seven months.

During his season-ending exit interview earlier this week, Watson complained of discomfort after twisting his ankle in Miami. A subsequent MRI revealed a “re-tear of his Achilles tendon,” the team said. Watson met with Dr. Robert Anderson before undergoing the surgery.

The 29-year-old Watson initially tore his Achilles tendon on October 20, ending his season due to injury for the second time in a row. He also missed the final eight games of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry said during his season-ending press conference earlier this week that Watson’s setback would not significantly impact the team’s offseason plans at the quarterback position. The only other quarterback under contract through the 2025 season is Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick who has struggled in his two starts this season. Jameis Winston, who started seven games after Watson’s injury before being benched, is an unrestricted free agent. Bailey Zappe, who started the season finale, is a restricted free agent.

The Browns have the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which could be used on one of the top quarterback prospects.

“I think the reality is that the space is going to look different next year,” Berry said Monday.

Watson has two years left on his five-year, $230 million guaranteed contract that he signed before the 2022 season. The Browns owe Watson $46 million each of the next two seasons and he has a cap hit of $72.9 million in 2025 and 2026, currently the second-highest in the NFL. Watson has played in just 19 games since the Browns traded three first-round picks for him in March 2022. Before his season-ending injury, he recorded the lowest overall QBR in the NFL.

The Browns and Watson agreed in late December to rework his contract and add void years, allowing the Browns to push his dead salary cap hit through 2030, league sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.