The Cleveland Browns have restructured Deshaun Watson’s contract again, impacting their salary cap situation for the next few seasons
Cleveland: So, the Browns have done it again. They’ve restructured Deshaun Watson’s contract for the third time in just three seasons. Can you believe it?
According to reports, this latest tweak won’t touch the $92 million Watson is guaranteed for 2025 and 2026. But it does let the team spread out his dead money over several years if he sticks around until 2026.
Otherwise, they’d be looking at a hefty cap hit in 2027 when he’s no longer under contract. It’s a tricky situation for sure.
Honestly, Watson’s five-year, $230 million deal is being called one of the worst in sports history. He’s missed more games due to a suspension than he’s won as a starter. That’s just wild!
He’s played a total of 19 games for the Browns and is set to end another season on the injured list after tearing his Achilles. Plus, his legal troubles just won’t quit, with over 20 massage therapists involved in allegations against him.
And here’s the kicker: these were supposed to be the easier years of his contract. He hasn’t even hit a cap hit over $27.9 million yet!
The Browns have been trying to make this work, restructuring his deal after the last two seasons to free up about $35 million in cap space each year. But now, they’re facing huge cap hits for the next couple of years with no easy way out.
Right now, they’re about $17 million over the salary cap for next season. If they let Watson go, that number would only go up. Talk about a mess!
With the team sitting at 3-12, they’ve got a lot of work to do and not much cash to play with. After bending over backward to keep Watson happy, they’re now stuck trying to rebuild with this massive contract hanging over them.
The next couple of seasons could be pretty rough for the Browns, and it’s all self-inflicted. What a situation!