The Cleveland Browns restructured the massive Deshaun Watson contract to give the franchise a little more financial flexibility moving forward. However, with a fully guaranteed deal, there was little the team could do to change the fact that they are stuck with the QB, who was not good in 2024.
Long story short, the Browns did some salary cap voodoo that spread Watson’s money out over several void years after the deal ends following the 2026 campaign. For those interested in the nitty-gritty details, Spotrac does a good job of explaining. The point is, though, that the Browns cannot cut or trade Watson because of his $175 million dead cap number in 2025 and $135 million in 2026.
“The Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson have made some tweaks to his contract, and it’s not about cutting his pay or changing his salary structure — it’s all about managing the financial impact, according to a league source,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Saturday. “The restructure gives the Browns a little breathing room by spreading potential dead money into additional void years. Instead of facing one massive cap hit in 2027 if Watson sticks through ’26, they’ve spread that cost over multiple years. It’s a smart move to manage the cap, but it doesn’t change their long-term commitment to the quarterback.”
Despite not changing the fact that Watson will be a Brown for the next two seasons regardless of performance and skill, Russini also reports that Cleveland is open to exploring other options at the all-important position.
“That said, while the Browns are financially locked into Watson for the next few seasons, I’ve been told this move doesn’t rule out the possibility of adding competition to the QB room down the line,” Russini continued.
At 3-12, the Browns will likely have a five or six pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. While that may not be high enough to grab one of the top two QB prospects — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward — there will be some bargain QB free agents as always and a later-round pick would make a lot of sense.
