The Cleveland Browns are in an unenviable position with arguably the biggest albatross of a contract in the NFL: Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed deal.
The Browns restructured the quarterback’s deal by adding two more void years, which would push out his dead salary cap charge into 2030.
Watson still carries a $72.9 million cap charge in each of the next two years, and one analyst revealed what the recent restructuring says about the Browns’ plans going forward.
“We’ve officially hit the point of the Deshaun Watson contract where the Browns are admitting defeat, admitting that it’s immovable, and protecting their salary cap future as much as possible, two years ahead of time,” Spotrac wrote on X.
We've officially hit the point of the Deshaun Watson contract where the #Browns are admitting defeat, admitting that it's immovable, and protecting their salary cap future as much as possible – two years ahead of time.
Unanimous, First-Ballot Contract Hall of Fame entry.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 27, 2024
Watson’s original deal already had two void years, but it now has four, and the Browns are more protected if they do cut him at some point.
His contract also was restructured before the season to create cap space.
Watson hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game for the Browns and is out with a season-ending injury for the second year in a row, but he’ll likely be the starter next year unless something else changes in the offseason.
Cleveland is positioned to miss out on the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft, as Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are likely to be gone before the Browns pick, and from a cap perspective, it would be hard to make a big splash in free agency due to all the money already committed to Watson.
Hopefully, this situation will improve for Browns fans sooner rather than later.
NEXT: Insider Says Browns Will Likely Add QB Competition In 2025
