An MRI revealed that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon, the team announced Monday.

Coach Kevin Stefanski had said after his team’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals on Sunday that it appeared Watson had suffered a season-ending injury.

Stefanski said Monday that Watson will have surgery this week. He was not aware of the exact type of procedure Watson would undergo.

After New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener, he underwent a SpeedBridge repair that allowed him to return to practice 11 weeks later. In the spring, Rodgers was cleared to practice without restrictions.

“We feel bad for Deshaun,” Stefanski said. “In this case, it would be a shame to lose him this season. And we also know as a football team that you have to go a step further here. Boys have to go a step further, and that is exactly how it goes.”

Stefanski had not committed to a starting quarterback for this Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. He said he was waiting for more information on the severity of Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s injured finger on his throwing hand.

The Browns will add a quarterback this week, but Stefanski wasn’t sure if it would be for the active roster or the practice squad. Cleveland currently does not have a quarterback on its practice squad.

Watson suffered the injury when his leg appeared to overextend during a non-contact play as he attempted to carry the ball on the first snap after the two-minute warning. Watson immediately surrendered and fell to the ground.

Shortly afterwards, a cart came onto the field and whisked away an emotional Watson. The entire Browns sideline came onto the field when he was placed on the cart.

Several players expressed their frustration after the game with fans appearing to cheer after Watson’s injury. Watson drew boos during the pregame introductions, which were quickly drowned out by cheers for running back Nick Chubb, who was making his season debut after last year’s serious knee injury.

“We don’t pick on guys who are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out,” defensive end Myles Garrett said after the game. “We should be ashamed as Browns and as fans if we boo everyone and their downfall.”

Stefanski said, “I don’t think it’s okay to cheer when someone is hurt. I’m sure not everyone in the building does that, but that’s disappointing.”

The Browns had Jameis Winston inactive as the third emergency quarterback on Sunday, so Thompson-Robinson came into the game to replace Watson and was 11 of 24 passing for 82 yards and two interceptions. However, he suffered a finger injury in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Winston, who was 5 of 11 passing for 67 yards and a touchdown to David Njoku.

Watson has struggled this season and had the lowest QBR of all qualified passers. He was 15 of 17 for 128 yards on Sunday before the injury.

The injury ends another disappointing season for Watson, his third since the Browns traded three first-round picks and gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract to bring him to Cleveland before the 2022 season.

He suffered a displaced fracture to the glenoid in his right shoulder, which forced him to miss the final eight games after season-ending surgery last November.

Watson, 29, has a history of serious leg injuries in college and the NFL. While at Clemson, he played through a torn ACL in his left knee. As a member of the Houston Texans, he tore the ACL in his right knee and missed the final nine games of his rookie year in 2017.

Watson will finish the third year of the five-year deal he signed after being traded from the Texans to the Browns with just 19 cumulative starts. He served an 11-match ban in 2022 after more than 20 women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during massage sessions.

The Browns still owe Watson $46 million over the next two seasons. He has a salary cap hit of $72.9 million through 2025.