diff --git a/.changelog/20348.txt b/.changelog/20348.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f8ac880234c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/20348.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+```release-note:bug
+deployments: Fixed a goroutine leak when jobs are purged
+```
diff --git a/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher.go b/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher.go
index b32b9a30a9cb..8ad464e710c5 100644
--- a/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher.go
+++ b/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher.go
@@ -180,8 +180,7 @@ func (w *Watcher) watchDeployments(ctx context.Context) {
 		// Update the latest index
 		dindex = idx
 
-		// Ensure we are tracking the things we should and not tracking what we
-		// shouldn't be
+		// Ensure we are tracking only active deployments
 		for _, d := range deployments {
 			if d.Active() {
 				if err := w.add(d); err != nil {
@@ -191,6 +190,21 @@ func (w *Watcher) watchDeployments(ctx context.Context) {
 				w.remove(d)
 			}
 		}
+
+		// Ensure we're not tracking deployments that have been deleted because
+		// the job was purged
+		for _, watcher := range w.watchers {
+			var found bool
+			for _, d := range deployments {
+				if watcher.deploymentID == d.ID {
+					found = true
+					break
+				}
+			}
+			if !found {
+				w.removeByID(watcher.deploymentID)
+			}
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -285,6 +299,10 @@ func (w *Watcher) addLocked(d *structs.Deployment) (*deploymentWatcher, error) {
 // remove stops watching a deployment. This can be because the deployment is
 // complete or being deleted.
 func (w *Watcher) remove(d *structs.Deployment) {
+	w.removeByID(d.ID)
+}
+
+func (w *Watcher) removeByID(id string) {
 	w.l.Lock()
 	defer w.l.Unlock()
 
@@ -293,9 +311,9 @@ func (w *Watcher) remove(d *structs.Deployment) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	if watcher, ok := w.watchers[d.ID]; ok {
+	if watcher, ok := w.watchers[id]; ok {
 		watcher.StopWatch()
-		delete(w.watchers, d.ID)
+		delete(w.watchers, id)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher_test.go b/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher_test.go
index cde0334bb088..a6b880441f71 100644
--- a/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher_test.go
+++ b/nomad/deploymentwatcher/deployments_watcher_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/nomad/structs"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/nomad/testutil"
 	"github.com/shoenig/test/must"
+	"github.com/shoenig/test/wait"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	mocker "github.com/stretchr/testify/mock"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -2081,3 +2082,53 @@ func watchersCount(w *Watcher) int {
 
 	return len(w.watchers)
 }
+
+// TestWatcher_PurgeDeployment tests that we don't leak watchers if a job is purged
+func TestWatcher_PurgeDeployment(t *testing.T) {
+	ci.Parallel(t)
+	w, m := defaultTestDeploymentWatcher(t)
+
+	// clear UpdateDeploymentStatus default expectation
+	m.Mock.ExpectedCalls = nil
+
+	// Create a job and a deployment
+	j := mock.Job()
+	d := mock.Deployment()
+	d.JobID = j.ID
+	must.NoError(t, m.state.UpsertJob(structs.MsgTypeTestSetup, m.nextIndex(), nil, j))
+	must.NoError(t, m.state.UpsertDeployment(m.nextIndex(), d))
+
+	// require that we get a call to UpsertDeploymentStatusUpdate
+	matchConfig := &matchDeploymentStatusUpdateConfig{
+		DeploymentID:      d.ID,
+		Status:            structs.DeploymentStatusPaused,
+		StatusDescription: structs.DeploymentStatusDescriptionPaused,
+	}
+	matcher := matchDeploymentStatusUpdateRequest(matchConfig)
+	m.On("UpdateDeploymentStatus", mocker.MatchedBy(matcher)).Return(nil)
+
+	w.SetEnabled(true, m.state)
+	must.Wait(t, wait.InitialSuccess(
+		wait.ErrorFunc(func() error {
+			if watchersCount(w) != 1 {
+				return fmt.Errorf("expected 1 deployment")
+			}
+			return nil
+		}),
+		wait.Attempts(100),
+		wait.Gap(10*time.Millisecond),
+	))
+
+	must.NoError(t, m.state.DeleteJob(m.nextIndex(), j.Namespace, j.ID))
+
+	must.Wait(t, wait.InitialSuccess(
+		wait.ErrorFunc(func() error {
+			if watchersCount(w) != 0 {
+				return fmt.Errorf("expected deployment watcher to be stopped")
+			}
+			return nil
+		}),
+		wait.Attempts(500),
+		wait.Gap(10*time.Millisecond),
+	))
+}