Deshaun Watson’s contract has been one of the worst deals in the NFL from the very moment the Cleveland Browns inked him to a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million agreement in 2022. Since then, the Browns have gotten just 19 starts out of their supposed franchise savior. He’s led them to just a 9-10 record, which has included zero playoff appearances.
Instead of the Browns getting a fringe MVP candidate, they’ve gotten a player who often looks closer to being one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks. Making matters worse, Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 7, and Cleveland has since gotten some inspiring performances out of Jameis Winston, putting Watson’s future in doubt. His latest contract adjustment puts that into perspective.
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Cleveland Browns restructure Deshaun Watson’s contract for more flexibility
On Friday, when no one in the NFL was thinking about the Cleveland Browns, they made a significant adjustment to Deshaun Watson’s contract.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns have agreed to restructure Watson’s contract in an effort to “ease their future salary cap burden.” Rapoport’s take is that it’s further indication that Watson will be on the Browns’ roster next season.
Yet, Watson’s contract changes don’t do anything for his 2025 cap hit, which will stay at $72.9 million. He’s also still guaranteed to be paid $92 million over the next two seasons.
What this adjustment does is make his contract “easier to manage” after the end of the 2026 season, when the deal expires by adding two void years at the end of the contract. This pushes more dead salary into 2030. Watson’s original contract already had two void years, now, it has four.
Despite these changes, experts still expect the Browns to add another quarterback to compete with Watson, which could come in the form of a rookie or another veteran. The Browns will also have Dorian Thompson-Robinson under contract next year too.
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