Ben Watson returned to New England in 2019, reuniting with the team that drafted him in 2004 and with which he played his first six seasons in the NFL.
Friday, Watson revealed that he played the season with a torn Achilles, posting a thank you to TB 12 Body Coach Joseph Koudelka for his work in keeping the now-39-year-old on the field.
“Tore my ‘good,’ Achilles this season, but @jfkoudelka2 kept me on the field! A million thanks @TB12,” Watson wrote over a picture of himself with the trainer posted to his own Instagram story.
The tight end was welcomed back by a team that had a vacancy at the position, then suspended four games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The Patriots released Watson following the suspension, then resigned him for the 11 final games of the season.
Watson ended up leading all TEs with 17 receptions for 173 yards despite his abbreviated season, which he has said is potentially his last in the league.