The Cleveland Browns have restructured the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to a source who spoke to ESPN’s Field Yates, freeing up $36 million to make Cleveland cap-compliant before the new league year begins.
Prior to the reworked deal, Cleveland was scheduled to be roughly $22 million over the cap. Now, they will have almost $13 million in available cap space this off-season, according to Spotrac.
.@TonyGrossi breaks down what the Deshaun Watson contract restructure means for this season and the future… pic.twitter.com/ulXBxryrQ2
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 6, 2025
Even after reworking the deal, the Browns will still owe Watson $46 million over each of the next two seasons. When he signed with Cleveland in 2022, he was famously given a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.
Since joining the Browns, Watson has only made 19 starts over the last three seasons. After breaking a bone in his throwing shoulder during the 2023-24 campaign, he tore his ACL seven weeks into the 2024-25 season.
What does this mean for the Browns?
I don’t think this changes the Browns’ off-season. They’re still in desperate need of a quarterback change, whether it be through the draft or free agency.
Cleveland was 1-6 with Watson as their starter. What’s more damning were his passing statistics. He didn’t even crack the top 32 in terms of QBR last season. As a matter of fact, his QBR was 23.4. By comparison, Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis had a QBR of 27.8 last year. To put that into perspective, that was basically the difference between Joe Burrow’s QBR and Kyler Murray’s QBR.
I really don’t understand why Watson would do this. I get that he’s being a team player, but this just gives the Browns the flexibility to find his replacement. Then again, his contract is fully guaranteed, so he’ll get his money whether he’s the starter or not. It just feels like an odd choice for a guy who will reportedly have to compete for the starting job next year.
The #Browns have now paid out the vast majority of Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract. All that’s left is a minimum salary this season and a $46 million salary in 2026. https://t.co/ZLTtl38aum
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 6, 2025
While this will allow the Browns to bring in some free agents, they’re not out of the woods just yet in terms of freeing up cap space. $12 million is barely enough money to sign two decent players, let alone an entire draft class.
Unfortunately, the Browns will probably have to make sacrifices in the trenches. Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio, and Wyatt Teller have a combined cap hit of roughly $46.1 million next year, so I could see one or two of those guys being cut this off-season. Also, if they do trade Myles Garrett, that’ll save the team roughly $19.7 million. It’s not ideal, but these are the business decisions the Browns will need to make to be cap-compliant while having the flexibility to sign draft picks and free agents.
