Good New Deshaun Watson back to Clemson Tigers for two-year contract Cade Klubnik and fans Celebrated Sealed Deal.
Clear Reason for Deshaun Watson’s Restructure Contract Revealed.
On Friday, the Cleveland Browns announced to a contract restructure with embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson. In March 2022, Watson and the Browns agreed to a five-year, $230 million contract extension and have since restructured the contract twice, in 2023 and 2024, to clear tens of millions of dollars for cap space. According to Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac, one of the leading authorities on sports contracts, the Browns’ latest restructuring better prepares the franchise to diffuse the immense dead cap figures if Cleveland were to release him after the 2026 season. At its essence, Watson’s contract guarantees, which include the full total of the contract, do not allow him to be released now without significant dead cap hits, so this deal allows more flexibility when the team eventually releases him.
Judging by the restructure, Watson must remain on the roster for at least two more seasons to minimize the cap implications.
The Browns are preparing to keep him rostered through 2026, but will need to.
Adding additional void years to the end of his contract converts Watson’s annual base salaries into signing bonuses, lowering and “spreading” his cap hits through the 2030 season, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
In 19 games over three years with the Browns, Watson is 9-10 as a starter. This season, he went 1-6 in seven games, passing for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. In Week 7, Watson was carted off the field with a non-contact injury that turned out to be an Achilles tear, ending his 2024 season.
