Being a superior team in the NFL isn’t just about having strong talent; it’s also about having a lot of money. Right now, the Cleveland Browns have a serious cash issue that could hold them back.
In a new piece for PFF, Mark Chichester dug into the numbers and found that the Browns have one of the worst cap space situations in the league.
Heading into the new season, they are more than $10 million over the cap, which ranks them 27th among all teams.
“Browns: -$10,286,279,” Chichester wrote.
Only the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs are in worse financial shape than the Browns. Now that general manager Andrew Berry has secured his job for another year, he will have to get to work to see what he can do about this cap space problem.
He has a few options, such as restructuring certain contracts, such as those of Denzel Ward or Deshaun Watson.
Speaking of Watson, no conversation about cap space is complete without talking about him. His massive salary is one reason the Browns are in this predicament, but they cannot let him go without still spending millions. They are paying him, whether they like it or not.
If the team were performing better, being so strapped for cash wouldn’t be a big deal. But for a team that won only five games this season, being this deep in the hole is problematic because it prevents them from adding more talented players to the roster.
The good news for the Browns is that they have several young players who seem to be on the right path.
There is no doubt that Berry is looking hard at these numbers and trying to figure out some very difficult math.
Even if he can achieve clever contract adjustments, 2026 will probably be a difficult financial year for the Browns.
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