Patriots TE Benjamin Watson Reveals He Played 2019 With a Freaking Torn Achilles

Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson has been around the block. At the age of 39, he's one of the oldest players you'll find in the NFL, but don't question his endurance or werewithal. On his Instagram story Friday, he revealed that he played through a torn Achilles (!) in 2019.

Alongside TB12 "body coach" Joseph Koudelka, Watson revealed an injury to his "good Achilles" while thanking Koudelka for keeping him on the field. Back in the 2016 preseason as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Watson suffered an Achilles tear in his opposite leg that sidelined him for that entire season.

Watson, who originally retired after the end of last season, chose to return in 2019 for another run with the New England Patriots before sustaining the injury. The only thing that ended up keeping Watson out of game action, however, was a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

For a player that once suffered a reported four concussions in a single season, its unfortunate that his return bid, and willingness to play through such a severe injury, resulted in nothing more than a first-round playoff exit. Watson is expected to retire for good this offseason, but if and when that happens, he'll be walking away with a tough-as-nails reputation nobody is allowed to question.